Author: Swati Mohandas
We say ‘yes’ to a lot of people around us as most of us are conditioned in this manner. We hesitate to say ‘no’ because we have to make someone happy, we don’t want to cause the person inconvenience and more often than not, we don’t want to come off as a rude person.
If anything, the more you say ‘yes’ and begin to accommodate others, the more people start to expect from you. One must remember that, saying ‘no’ doesn’t make you a bad person.
It is quite simple that you can never be productive if you take on too many commitments. To stay productive, minimize stress and avoid wasting time you have to learn the gentle art of saying ‘no’.
You should say no when your plate is full with tasks and are overloaded. Most importantly you aren’t obligated to explain or justify your ‘no’.
It is not an offense to say ‘no’. Your family and friends will understand even when you cannot make certain social engagements. And if your friends do not get it, it is probably time to make new friends.
As someone who always fills the silence, I find it difficult but with practice I am letting go of people-pleasing and embracing ‘no’ as an essential self-care tool.
To sum it up, my point of view is saying ‘no’ respectfully and declining warmly is a skill, to master it we must keep practicing it.
About the Author
I am a Philosophy graduate and a certified computer professional from Mumbai and based in Pune with my family from the last 2 decades.
Literature always fancied me. I pen down short stories, blogs, poems and has forayed into freelance content writing. I even published an award-winning book of collected poems titled ‘Myriad Whispers’ which is available on Amazon.
When not writing, I enjoy listening to music, exploring the outdoors and scanning local bookstores.
