Saying “NO” is the hardest thing for many of us. Not only does it sounds offensive but it also feels wrong whenever we have to say it. So, uttering this two-letter word becomes an impossible task for us.

As a result, whenever someone asks us any favor, without giving it a second thought, we just say yes. No matter how badly we want to refuse them to do that we never dare to say no to them. Many people take the help of neuro linguistic programming for learning to take a stand for themselves.

If you have the same habit of saying yes to everything, then you should not be proud of it. It is not at all good for your growth and personal development. But, the good news is, you can change this habit and can say whatever you want to say no matter how difficult it is.

Why is it tough to say “No”?

First of all, you need to realize that if agreeing seems too simple to you than simply saying “no”, then you are not the only one who is going through a challenge. There are many like you who cannot take a stand for themselves and would agree easily to anything.

The very common reason behind this attitude is that we believe in saving relationships and accept to give any favor in return. People are too afraid to lose a friend or hurt their feeling that saying no does not even seem like an option.

Another reason behind this psychology is our childhood. Maybe we have never learned to take a stand for ourselves. Therefore, we fail to advocate ourselves for our whole life.

However, there are many obvious reasons for saying yes to people. Out true intention to help and some people are great helpers, their willingness to help others never allow them to refuse any favor. But what they forget is they cannot give everything to everyone so there has to be a limit no matter how pure your intentions are.

Saying yes can be a reason for professional pressure, sometimes we think that saying no would make others feel less of our capabilities. So out of pressure, we keep on saying yes to any task coming our way.

Why it’s not wrong to say no

Saying no is the best thing you would do for yourself. It’s not easy as first but it will give you the courage to stand for yourself.

You need to believe that saying no does not mean that you are being selfish but it suggests that you are giving yourself some time to rest and you are ready to set some boundaries with your friends and relatives.

By deciding what you want to do and what not, you are taking charge of your life. it will boost your confidence and you will see a very positive in yourself.

But the important thing is to know when to say no and when not.

Sometimes, we are confused about what we actually want and say end up doing things out of that confusion. But there are times when we completely know what we want but due to the lack of courage, we fail to speak up.

Thus, it indicates that you need to think about various things before deciding on them. You need to know what is good for you to refuse and what you ought to do.

Here are the things you need to think of before committing to someone.

• Is it the task you are committing to taking up your time for something else more important?

• The favor or the task someone is asking you to do aligns with your beliefs or values or not.

• You must throw some light on your beliefs and values to know them well so that you can define them better.

• Does working on it would take up all your energy and leave you exhausted.

• Is there any impact of half-heartedly agreeing to something on your mental health?

• You must think critically about your past decisions relating to the same sort of thing. It will help you decide whether you regretted it or not.

Once you have thought of all this thoroughly, you can decide whether you want to say yes or no.

How to say “no” politely

Saying no does not mean you have to be rude to the other person. You can refuse to someone while still being polite to them. If you feel it is too difficult for you to say no, you can go for NLP therapy for yourself.

Be firm in what you are saying and do not give mixed responses or ideas to others. You can give your honest response and give your reason for refusing.

If the person asking for help means a lot to you, you can express your gratitude while still being firm in your answer. You can also say sorry to them if you feel that they would be annoyed.

At last, the most important thing is your mental health and if you are doing anything that compromises it, you must not go for it.