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Maybe you should have not agreed to host that party. You know you definitely shouldn't have agreed to pick up all the food and cook it. You won't get any rest the day before because you promise to go with your close friend shopping, even though you don't want too. And that's just part of your schedule for the week. You never have time for yourself for doing other things for everyone else.
You love helping people, but doing everything for everyone is wearing you out. You can't keep on like this. But what can you do to start getting some quality time back for yourself. How do you tell family and friends that you can't do everything for them all the time? You hate saying no. But it looks like you are going to have to learn how to say no, in order to have time for yourself.
The first thing is to realize that saying no is not such a terrible thing to do. It's not that you don't want to help people or be there for them, but it needs to be some restriction with your time. You have to realize you can't be there for everyone at all times and do everything that everyone want you to do. This is when you have to start praticing how to say the word no.
The word no is used to express rejection. That's why it is so hard for some of us to say no, we don't want to reject anyone. You have to look at it as if you are not rejecting, but expressing that you can't do right at that moment what they need for you to do. When you are known for always being there and able to do everything for everybody, you become a habit for everyone to reach out to. You want to break that habit.
Don't allow yourself to be the one to be spread so thin trying to please everyone else that you are not pleasing yourself first. If it is not convenient for you to be or do something say no. Let go the guilt of feeling like you have to do for everyone else. This is what is making you say yes, when some of the time you should be saying no. Saying no to people can be handle in a very nice, but firm way.
Think it out clearly when you are approached to do something. Is this something you want to do and do you have the time to do it? If you know the answer to those questions are no, don't be afraid to say the word to the people that are asking. Don't let anyone force you into doing something that you really don't want to do. By saying no, you are not forcing yourself to be in a situation you really don't want to be in. After the pattern is set that you won't always be available to do everything for everyone, you will be surprise at how people won't automatically ask you to do things for them all the time.
Getting in the habit of saying no can be hard. But once you learn how and when to say no you will start making your life easier. Even if you feel sometimes a explanation is needed to go along with the word no, tell them why you can't do it if you feel you need to. Let people know you don't mind doing things for them some of the time, but you have a life of your own. You need time for yourself and you will not be available for them all the time. Learning how to say a simple word like no can change your life.
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