Learning to say ‘no’

Saying no to people can be incredibly awkward, difficult and downright scary at times, but if you’re a serial ‘yes’ person it might be time to reconsider your focus and learn to put yourself first by giving a resounding ‘NO’.

For some people, saying yes to everything comes naturally. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t like letting others down you probably find yourself agreeing to things you’d rather not do.

Whether it’s helping out a friend, agreeing to extra work, or doing a favour for a family member, it’s easy to convince yourself to say yes out of a feeling of duty.

The only problem with this is that every time you say yes to something you don’t really want to do, you are doing a disservice to yourself and piling on a whole lot of pressure, stress and anxiety you don’t need.

Many people don’t realise just how much damage saying yes to everything can do to your health and wellbeing – that’s why there’s an excellent case to be made for saying no.

The Stress Factor

When you say yes to something you really don’t want to do or don’t even have the time to do, you put a huge amount of stress of your body. It can lead to anxiety, which causes tension in your mind and body and can cause a severe lack of sleep as you lay awake at night thinking about it. Life is hectic enough as it is. You don’t need to pile on extra tasks if they’re only going to make things more difficult for you.

Scrap the Moochers

Most of us have that one person in our life who is always asking for more. Say no to this person a few times in a row and they’re bound to get the message eventually that you’re done being their little helper. You’re at a time in your life where you need to put yourself first, so get yourself out of the ‘yes rut’ and embrace your ability to say no.

Save On Time

When you spend all your time doing things for other people, you lose out on all the things you could be doing for yourself. Your time is precious and prioritising other people’s needs and wants over yours is you putting yourself second. After a lifetime of putting others first, don’t you think it’s time you had your time in the sun?

Find More Energy

There’s nothing more draining than spending your time doing something you don’t like. Wether it’s a chore for a friend or a favour for your family, if you’re not in the mood it’s going to suck all your energy and leave you tired and grumpy. Sure, you might think this is okay as a one off, but when it’s happening time and time again you need to rethink your strategy and put your foot down.

Grow Your Confidence

It’s a tough old word to say the first few times around, but once you’ve said no to a few people you’ll find it gets easier and easier. Eventually saying no will be like second nature and you’ll learn how to let people down gently and avoid any friction. It is definitely possible to say no to people without damaging relationships – you just need to find that happy balance.

Do you say ‘yes’ to too many things? Have you learned to say ‘no’?