The Power of "No"
How many times do we say YES when we really want to say NO?
Some of the reasons I said yes in the past to many things (not just drinking) were:
- A feeling of obligation
- I was afraid of rejection
- My need to people please
- I didn't trust my own instincts
Learning to say "no" has been one of the most empowering things on my journey in sobriety. I won't lie, I still get a tight feeling in my gut when I feel that desire to say "yes" to something that I don't actually want to do. But when I say "no" I feel like throwing a little party for myself. I just honoured myself!
It doesn't mean you don't care about people. It doesn't mean that you are selfish. It means that you are putting yourself first. That you are following your gut and valuing yourself.
The best thing to do is when someone requests something of you or pressures you to do something is see how it sits in your body. Is there any resistance?
Imagine for a moment you said "no". How does that sit in your body?
Check out Dr Gabor Mate's book, When The Body Says No. It's quite incredible the toll that saying "yes" when we want to say "no" takes on our body and our nervous system.
How do you feel about saying "no"? Do you struggle with it? What impact does not saying "no" have on your life? Time to start practicing in the mirror!
Some of the reasons I said yes in the past to many things (not just drinking) were:
- A feeling of obligation
- I was afraid of rejection
- My need to people please
- I didn't trust my own instincts
Learning to say "no" has been one of the most empowering things on my journey in sobriety. I won't lie, I still get a tight feeling in my gut when I feel that desire to say "yes" to something that I don't actually want to do. But when I say "no" I feel like throwing a little party for myself. I just honoured myself!
It doesn't mean you don't care about people. It doesn't mean that you are selfish. It means that you are putting yourself first. That you are following your gut and valuing yourself.
The best thing to do is when someone requests something of you or pressures you to do something is see how it sits in your body. Is there any resistance?
Imagine for a moment you said "no". How does that sit in your body?
Check out Dr Gabor Mate's book, When The Body Says No. It's quite incredible the toll that saying "yes" when we want to say "no" takes on our body and our nervous system.
How do you feel about saying "no"? Do you struggle with it? What impact does not saying "no" have on your life? Time to start practicing in the mirror!