Say No More Often

The first few weeks of classes is the busiest time of the year for me. Between tracking down all those great (ish) deals on text books, getting back in the swing of attending classes, and hitting the gym, I barely have time to sleep! My friends are always asking me for help with stuff or to hang out and of course there’s the ever-nagging parents asking why I don’t come around more often. I try as hard as I can, beginning my day around 5:30 and getting to bed around 11, but after about 2 weeks of this, the stress and lack of sleep catch up and I get sick. I spend the next week in a haze of cough medicine and even less sleep, wondering how it even got to this point. My nose get’s raw and my body is barely moving and I finally take a day off work to get some much needed sleep and soup in my life.Flower 5 (1 of 1)
Then, at long last, the ever-elusive lesson about how to say no kicks in. I start to say “No” when people ask for favors or to spend an entire day together. At first people are a little put-out, wondering why I suddenly cut back on our time together, but I just explain that I’m overwhelmed and I need to focus on my own well-being. While it may sound selfish, most people understand this, as they’re often overwhelmed by social, school, and work responsibilities as well.
Saying “No” isn’t a bad thing. Focusing on yourself and giving yourself some time to relax and enjoy your life is so important! Think of your time as a pitcher of water. Every time someone asks for your time, or you have to dedicate it to homework, work, class, driving, or anything else you may do, you pour a little of the water from your pitcher into their pitcher. Slowly but surely, your pitcher is going to wind up empty if you don’t take time to go back to the faucet and fill-up. That’s all you’re doing when you say “No” to things; you’re filling up your pitcher so that you can truly enjoy the time you do dedicate to your friends/family.
It’s a hard lesson to learn, saying “no” is. I have to re-learn it every semester. I run around like a chicken with its head cut off until I finally break and decide that enough is enough. Remember, you’re not being selfish, you’re just refilling your pitcher so that you have more to give to others.

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