One life hack that I have come to learn and I have actually been using in my day to day life is something very simple, but omo… and it has really helped me a lot, and that is learning to say no and not overcommit myself to things
So Before now ehn....,I used to be that person that would say yes to almost everything, Ahn ahn, if you ask me for help, I am there, if there is something to do, I will agree, If someone needs something, I will try to show up, even when I am not okay myself.
At that time, I felt like I was doing the right thing,in my head, I just didn’t want to disappoint people, I didn’t want anyone to feel like I was wicked or selfish, So I kept saying yes… even when I was tired, even when it was not convenient for me, But omo, I didn’t realize how much it was affecting me, there were times I would agree to do something, and later I would start feeling stressed because deep down, I didn’t even want to do it in the first place. Other times, I would be so tired but still pushing myself because I had already said yes.
Ahn ahn, I was just draining myself, It got to a point where I had to sit down and ask myself one simple question: “Why am I always putting myself last?” That was when it clicked, I realized that saying yes to everything is not a good thing. It doesn’t make you a better person, Sometimes, it just makes you tired and frustrated,So I started learning how to say no,At first ehn, it was not easy at all,tge first few times I said no to people, I even felt somehow. I was like, “Hope they will not think I am forming?” but I still did it anyway, instead of forcing myself, I started being honest. If I couldn’t do something, I would just say it politely, If I was not in the mood or didn’t have the energy, I would not push myself unnecessarily, and guess what? nothing happened, the world did not end. People did not suddenly hate me, in fact, I started feeling better.
This one small change has really helped me in so many ways, first, I now have more time for myself, I am not always running up and down trying to meet everybody’s expectations,secondly, I feel less stressed, Omo..... , when you stop overcommitting yourself, your mind just becomes calmer, you are not constantly worried about what you promised this person or that person.
Another thing is that I now value my time and energy more, before, I used to just give it out freely without thinking, but now, I am more careful about what I say yes to, and the funny thing is, I have also noticed that people respect me more now. Because when you always say yes, people can take advantage of it. But when you start setting boundaries, they begin to understand your limits, so yeah, this life hack of learning to say no has really worked for me, It is not about being wicked or selfish, it’s just about knowing your limits and respecting yourself too, at the end of the day, you cannot pour from an empty cup. If you keep giving and giving without resting, you will just end up draining yourself, So now, I still help people, I still show up when I can, but I do it in a way that doesn’t leave me exhausted, and honestly, that balance has made a big difference in my life.
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