Member-only story
3 Ways to Say No Without Feeling Guilty
It really is okay to say no, but these tips can make it easier to lose the guilt
We all rely on others to help us out from time to time. We need people to say yes sometimes and we need to say yes sometimes. But it’s equally important that we’re free to say no when we need or want to. But where a yes makes people happy, a no is a totally different story.
If saying yes makes people happy, saying no can cause guilt and condemnation. Worrying about what others think is a primary reason why people overextend themselves, only to suffer needlessly. What if there were a way to say no without feeling guilty? There is!
Saying no is all about confident maturity and healthy boundaries. Being tuned in to what matters most for you at this moment in time and being able to confidently articulate this is the key to your success. Here are some pro-tips for saying no without feeling guilty.
Pro-Tip #1: Become an effective communicator
KISS is an acronym for Keep It Simple, Sweetie — it’s an old one, but very effective. Effective communication does well under this model. Being able to simply state why something is a no right now helps avoid guilt. If you are unable — or even unwilling — to say yes, just keep the…
