Learning To Say No Without Stressing Out

You have more than enough to do in your life. And then someone asks you for a favor. You know you have to say "No", but how can you do it without causing hard feelings?

It’s not the act of saying "No," that can stress you out. It’s the thought of the repercussions of saying "No" that can stress you out. This means you have to keep back the thoughts of repercussions in order to say, "No" to someone. That, of course, is easier said than done, but with practice, it can be achieved.

And then, you can also cut back on repercussions on how you say your, "No." You can diffuse a lot of arguments or disappointment if you are polite and honest. Don’t just shout, "NO!" Have a reason. And say that you want to help, but can’t. This lets the person asking you for the favor know that you think enough of them to give them an apology and an explanation.

Being Liked Should Not Make You Sick

Many people find they can’t say no to friends, family, co-workers and even salespeople because they want to be liked. Somehow along the way, we have learned that agreeing to do things makes you liked. However, you’re not doing anyone a favor if you don’t say "No" once in a while. Running around without proper rest and "me time" can make you very sick just from your stress levels. Too much stress can even make you fat.

And saying "Yes" and then NOT doing what you agreed to do should never cross your mind. A lot of people do this in order to get approval from others. However, when the time comes for them to live up to their word, they are nowhere to be seen. This makes for a lot worse feelings than if you just said, "No" to begin with.

What You Can Say Instead

"I’d like to help you out because I like you, but I can’t. Sorry." That (or a variation of it) is really all you need to say. Chances are, you will not be hit by lightning or even get into an argument just because you had to decline a favor. Life will go on.

Only you will be a lot less stressed.

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