The Importance of Saying No

For most of my life, I had a really hard time saying no to others. I was raised to be nice. And being nice meant being agreeable and do what was asked of me without questioning it.

Others in my life learned to take me for granted. Mild protests on my part were ignored because I would always do what others wanted me to do in the end, regardless of how difficult or detrimental it was to my wellbeing.

It took a truly impossible ask where others didn’t want to take no for an answer and completely ignored my reasons to look at my history with saying no, boundaries and standing up for myself.

I realized that by saying yes to everyone, I often said no to myself and that was neither healthy nor sustainable. Clear boundaries communicated with kindness are essential for sustainable, healthy relationships.