The art of saying no.

Being a people pleaser saying no is very difficult. I usually agree to so many things because I don’t want to upset people or have them think negatively of me. This is definitely something that stems from a childhood where trying to please seemed so important and it also meant hopefully less of being shouted at or hit.

This is a trait that has followed me throughout my life and it is still difficult to say no. However, recently I have realised that saying no is important for my own sanity. If I continue to say yes I will end up exhausting myself, taking on too much is not good. Being busy is good and important but trying to do everything is impossible and it will often become presumed that if you say yes then you will always say yes and to be completely honest when people just presume you will always say yes the gratitude becomes less.

So I have decided that I cannot do everything and should not do everything. This has lead me to say no to some things and put my own well-being first. Since starting to say no I feel so much better in myself and I know I will actually have more time to do what is important to me.

I will still agree to doing things but know that I just need to prioritise and ensure that I do not become overwhelmed.