Setting boundaries and saying no can be really tough, especially if you have any trauma history, attachment wounds, codependent patterns, or fear of rejection.
Heck, even if you are just a nice person who doesn’t like to hurt people’s feelings!
It’s NOT as easy as “no is a complete sentence” like some people say. (This is one of my pet peeves!
💥 I always recommend starting with “maybe”. When you are in the habit of automatically saying yes (and many of us are), saying “maybe” is a good way to break that habit and give yourself some time to think it through.
💥 Think about which activities, people, places, events, etc. drain you and which energize you, and plan accordingly.
💥 Expect push-back! When people have become accustomed to you saying yes, hearing you say no will be an adjustment! (Also, I think the universe likes to send us little tests whenever we work on boundaries. Like…are you SURE?)
💥 And finally… REPEAT!! You may sound like a broken record, but that’s OK.
This week, practice saying “maybe” and take your time to think it through before committing your time or energy to anything.
We get into protecting your energy and time, and setting boundaries in Week 3 of The Beyond Burnout Course for Therapist and Helping Professional Moms- check it out HERE!
Michelle Risser 