Independence is knowing you could stand alone without insisting you always should.

Real independence is a capability held in reserve rather than a rule you enforce on yourself. Knowing that you could manage alone is what makes it safe to lean on people, because leaning is then a choice rather than a necessity. Insisting on always standing alone turns a strength into a constraint and costs you most of the good of having it.

Ask yourself whether you avoid depending on people because you truly prefer to, or because being dependent frightens you. If it is the second, accept a small piece of help this week on something you could have handled. You are practising choosing, not surrendering.