Do you have a hard time saying “No?” Do you say “Yes” when you don’t mean it? Some of us are taught throughout our lifetime to please EVERYBODY – making sure that everybody else is happy, has what they need, and that you do whatever you can to prevent conflict.

But what about you? Are you happy? Do you have what you need? Are you saying yes to things that overwhelm you, over-commit your life and bring chaos, enable others to use/walk all over you?

Saying “No” is a healthy skill to learn – it is a communication tool that is under-rated, and most of us are not comfortable using it. We need encouragement and support to be able to say ‘no’ to people and situations that we care about.

“No” establishes our boundaries. Skillfully being able to use the word “no” allows us to say “yes” to the things we really want, the things that make us happy – the ability and space to do what we want/need to do, managing how we spend our time, energy, money, and even birthdays/holidays/vacations.

Is it easy? No, but we can learn how to say no with grace and firmness. Learning to treat ourselves with love and respect – learning to say no with conviction and kindness, is a great act of self-care.