I was watching Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday yesterday morning and she had Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, on for a portion of the show. I got a lot of things from listening to her story or self-discovery. She talked about moments of stillness and being able to listen to that voice inside ourselves that we tend to keep ignoring. But one of the things that I was not expecting to hear was her discussing the power of saying no.
So many times you hear people advise others that we say no too often and we end up shutting ourselves off to many opportunities that we weren’t receptive too. But on the flip side, there are those of us who spend so much time taking care of everyone else, and being there for everyone else, that we end up taking ourselves for granted. Elizabeth Gilbert spoke about having to learn how to say No to people and learning how to not feel guilty about it.
We all have experienced having those around us that just literally suck the life out of us. They probably don’t do it intentionally (although some do) but their constant need to lean on you and their constant expectation that you will always be there no matter what can drain you emotionally and eventually physically. Sometimes we really do need to just stand up for our own emotional health and say no when we need to. That’s not saying that we can’t ever be there for the people who need us again. That’s saying that you have to be there for you first. Until tomorrow…Take some time out for you and don’t feel guilty about the no’s you will have to say in order to do it.
Jimmetta Carpenter
Writer/Editor
The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)
Writing as “Jaycee Durant”
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