flexing your “no” muscle

Do you ever find yourself looking for an “out” to be able to say “no” to something? Do you feel like you must explain and have a good enough reason to say “no” to certain plans or engagements that don’t serve you? Or perhaps plans that you simply don’t want to do? 

Saying “no” can feel incredibly uncomfortable especially for all of my people pleasers out there. We can find ourselves constantly apologizing and elaborately explaining the reason behind why we need to protect our time, energy, physical, and mental health. But what if we reframed it and recognized that we, alone, are enough to say no? What if we believed that our mental well-being was enough to prioritize without the laundry list of reasons that we feel the need to explain? 

We all have inherent value and building that confidence and positive view of self is critical to loving one’s self well and therefore, being able to love those around us well. One of the first steps to nurturing ourselves starts with identifying our individual needs, which can sometimes mean saying “no” to some things so that we can say “yes” to other things that fill us up. So, here is your reminder that you are enough to care for and prioritize in every situation. If you want to further explore those views of self and how to exercise your “no” muscle in the necessary areas of your life, I would love to do so with you.

 - Megan