To be a good friend, a good daughter, or a good mother, it feels like we have to say “yes” and do it all 100% of the time. It doesn’t feel like there is room for “no” at all.
What if being a good friend, daughter or mother means being reliable and what if being reliable doesn’t mean that we burn out doing it all but instead that we set realistic expectations for what we can and cannot do? What if it is more appreciated by our loved ones that we say “no, I can’t get to this in time” than it is to lose sleep while trying to do it all?
No one is going to give us direct permission to say “no” – that boundary setting is up to us. But everyone will benefit from that boundary.
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