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A few days ago my mother, who is not yet 60 years old, found out that the pain she's been feeling in her hands is arthritis. Her doctor told her that this type of basal thumb arthritis is very common in women over the age of 40, and indeed, it affects women 6 times more often than men. And while no one is exactly sure why it affects women so much more -- hormonal and other physical factors may contribute -- her doctor said that it his impression that women just wore out their hands. Antecdotally speaking, it seems like the work that women do with their hands, from housework to yard work to everyday motions like picking up keys or say a child's sock 100 times a day for years on end, may actually wear out the cartilage in our bodies. As my mother said, "So there you have it. Ask for help. How much more of a reminder do you need?"

It's true, women are famous for not asking for help when we need it. We think we can do it all. We can do it all! But sometimes it's okay to ask someone else to open that jar of pickles. To help pick the weeds. And when you think about it, this is just a reminder of all the ways in which we wear ourselves out by doing too much. A reminder that bodies wear out. That we only make so much cartilage, have so much energy. So consider this your friendly non-doctor-blogger's prescription to you: if you're hurting, or even if it's just that you're tired, ask for help. Your hands, your whole entire self, will thank you when you're older.

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Why Asking For Help Is Not a Sign of Weakness