As we conclude Stress Awareness Month from Stress.Org we wanted to share some more handy resources from to start off May, and focus on something that a lot of people find very difficult, saying 'no'.
For most of us making other people happy is really important and gives us a sense of self. It can be incredibly difficult to put yourself first and avoid doing things that you don't want to do at the risk of upsetting someone that you care about.
Saying no can be uncomfortable but it can actually allow other people to grow, by saying no you're setting clear boundaries and allowing the people in your life to step up, in some cases it can be the kindest thing for you to do. Here’s what one of our clients Brenda had to say….
“I just always did everything in my relationships because I thought no-one else would do it so I said yes to everything. Yes I’ll do the shopping, yes I’ll do the cleaning, yes I’ll pick stuff up for friends, until one day I became burnt out and ill and had to rest. Everyone around me had to take the reins and I asked them why they hadn’t done it before. They said I’d never given them the option and they thought I just wanted to control everything. It was a great lesson in life for me and my behaviour changed after that. I started to say no and I’ve never looked back”
If this is something you struggle with then start small by setting clear boundaries around time you save for yourself, only make plans if you truly want to carry them out. This will help reduce stress around becoming overburdened or overwhelmed and can help in all aspects of your life. Stress.Org. highlights some of the key points here: https://www.stress.org.uk/learn-to-say-no-2/