Read Responses

The statements below are anonymous submissions from AANHPI students responding to the prompt:

“I didn’t ask for help because…”

These responses reflect experiences across mental health, physical health, academic pressure, family expectations, and personal struggles. Some are brief. Some are reflective. All are shared with permission.

Not every response will resonate with you. But many may feel familiar.

Silence does not always mean someone is fine. Sometimes, it reflects what we were taught about strength, responsibility, and resilience.

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to be the difficult one."

"I’ve always tried to be low-maintenance. It felt uncomfortable to need something from someone else."

- San Diego, CA

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to make it a bigger deal than it was."

"But ignoring it didn’t make it smaller either."

- Los Angeles, CA

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t know what kind of help I even needed."

"It was easier to say nothing than to admit I was confused."

- San Diego, CA

Y.Y Recording

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want my struggles to define me."

"I was afraid people would start seeing me differently"

- Y.Y (Bay Area, CA)

"I didn’t ask for help because I thought it would make things awkward."

"Talking about feelings has never been something we do openly in my culture. I thought it would be weird to start now."

- C.Y (Los Angeles, CA)

"I didn't ask for help because I thought stress was normal."

"Everyone around me seemed overwhelemed. I assumed that was just how life works."

- P.Q (San Diego, CA)

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to explain everything from the beginning."

"It felt exhausting to unpack years of pressure in one conversation."

- San Diego, CA

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to seem ungrateful."

"There’s a lot of talk about opportunity and sacrifice. I didn’t want to seem like I was wasting either."

- San Diego, CA

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t trust that it would change anything."

"Part of me believed I just had to endure and it would eventually go away (spoiler: it didn't)."

- San Diego, CA

P.L Recording

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want it to turn into a whole conversation."

"Sometimes it’s easier to just say 'I’m fine' and move on."

- P.L (San Diego, CA)

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to admit I was overwhelmed."

- Los Angeles, CA

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t grow up seeing people talk about this."

- Bay Area, CA

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to explain myself."

- Los Angeles, CA

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to make it weird."

- Los Angeles, CA

"I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to seem like I couldn’t handle pressure."

"There’s this expectation that you just deal with it."

- A.Y (Bay Area, CA)

"I didn’t ask for help because I thought I just needed to be tougher."

"That’s what I’ve always seen growing up."

- L.Z (Bay Area, CA)

I didn’t ask for help because I'm scared of other people judging me.

I didn't ask for help because I thought I could handle my problems on my own.

I didn't ask for help because familial, parental, and cultural expectations expect me to be independent, tough, and strong willed.

I didn't ask for help because I feel embarrassed

I didn’t ask for help because I thought I would be a bother.

- San Diego

I didn't ask for help because I was afraid of what other people what think and act. You don't know what other people might do after realizing.

I didn’t ask for help because I didn't feel safe enough to be heard.