Learn to say No

I used to consider that saying yes to everything equals grabbing all opportunities, which technically is correct but somehow, when I pushed myself into this compulsion of agreeing to everyone and everything, I was simply destroying my mental health.

This is my journey of the biggest life lesson there is to learn.

I have been an ecstatic person all my life. I attend every family meetup, every school event or competition. I have this self-rule to keep myself busy and engrossed in all sorts of activities, and honestly, I enjoy it. I feel content when I indulge myself. It drives me to work better. Over the years I settled into a good routine, everything was perfect until it wasn't. 

It started with me giving less time to things that were part of my schedule. I started sleeping late, used to be busy in school and then had zero motivation to study. After a few months of me convincing my brain that everything will be alright, I realised how wrong I was. That feeling hit me so hard that I felt as if I'm doing wrong in life. Deadlines and perfection were all I used to think about. I felt very unnatural. One thing lead to the other and I ended up messing everything up. I was late to everything, took frequent holidays to match up with the school syllabus and disturbed my rapport with teachers. It was not until my mum figured out and told me that I need a pause. I need to say no to things. She said that people will be there asking for your help or making you work but it is you who'll decide what suits you the most in that particular situation.

The thing is that all our life we are so accustomed to training ourselves a certain way that we don't accept change. The way we thrive for every opportunity makes us forget that we need not disrupt our original habits. This might not be the truth for all contexts but sure is for most. Learning to say no is important. You need to evaluate the consequences before agreeing to things, will it disturb your future plans? how will it help you? are you okay with giving that much time? can you adjust enough?

These simple questions can certainly save you from grave regrets. You have to seize the opportunities, that is an inevitable part of growth, but not every opportunity can serve the same purpose, some situations contribute negatively and you won't even realise it. You'll feel burned out, exhausted, frustrated and in the end regret your choices. Take your time to arrive at a wise decision. A decision with an appropriate amount of thought, risk and plausible improvement.

Mail: diana.beingyou@gmail.com
Instagram: beingyoubyd

I'll catch you in the next one,
Diana Jean