“Can you help me with this project?” “Can I talk to you for a second?” “Do you want to go to happy hour Thursday?” “Will you help me with this errand?” It can all be overwhelming. So, how to say no politely in business and how to politely say no to plans? At some point you have to stop accepting more responsibility and instead spend time recharging your batteries to change your life in a positive way, starting now.
Giving to others and keeping no energy for yourself
Between our family, friends, romantic partners, bosses and coworkers, requests are consistently coming at us from all aspects of our lives. It’s too easy to focus more on fulfilling the needs of others instead of ourselves and attempt to say yes to everything asked of us.
But the reality is, saying yes all the time isn’t sustainable. That’s why it’s important to know how to say no politely in business and personally.
When we put others before ourselves, we’re putting ourselves at risk of physical and mental exhaustion, burnout and stress. The effects of these symptoms can be insomnia, anxiety and even an increased risk of illness.
It’s important to navigate these requests with care and find a balance between saying yes and learning how to say no politely so we can prioritize our own health and wellness.
But how can we learn to do that?
How to say no
The first step is ditching the idea that saying no makes you look mean, rude or incompetent. Everyone needs to say no sometimes for our own mental and physical wellbeing, so we shouldn’t worry that doing so is a bad thing.
Here are some tips for how to say no and how to say it right.
How to say no politely (Infographic)
Infographic by bestow.com
Great post and infographic. Sharing on Mindculture on the 18th. Thank You.
Appreciative!
Great, Christy! Thank you so much for the great adivices. Michael
Great advice for saying no, politely, Christy! I know that I can definitely use some of these!
Excellent article on “saying no” Christy. I like the examples of how to say “no” in specific situations. Great flow chart.
YES!💜
This is an important reminder, especially right now. It’s a confusing time and we want to help everyone with everything because so many are in need. No is a word not an emotion. Great post, Christy.
Very simple and effective advice pertaining to when to say No in the right way I can surely work along with. :) God bless and thanks much for sharing with us. 😊
This is true! love the graph at the end, when you read the graph you realized how many times you say yes when you should have said no. Thanks for this great post.
Such great advice. It took me many years to learn to say no. Even now, it’s hard sometimes. Thanks for sharing!
And the saddest part is who take you for granted, if you complain say who told you to do so.
It’s such a beautiful, helping advice. I suffered all my life since I couldn’t master the art of saying no.’ The effects of these symptoms can be insomnia, anxiety and even sometimes increased illness.’ It’s true .
Love the info graphic. Now more than ever people need to set boundaries and learn to say NO. Your mental wellbeing is more important then having chronic stress.