Do Yourself a Favor and Say No

Illustrated by James Yang

There are people who will steal your time and drain your energy without batting an eye and if allowed they will abuse your loyalty and exploit your love. I wonder if people who ask for too much ever stop to think of how their requests effect the other person. Part of me wonders if they did think and just did not care. There are a lot of selfish souls roaming this earth. Continuously helping people do things they should be doing for themselves leaves too much room for manipulation and the feeling of being taken for granted. In return you are doing a disservice to that person by enabling their behavior.

It’s never easy saying no to those you love and desperately want to help. However, the real question is who will help you when you are tired of helping others. The answer to that will always be YOU.  

At some point to save yourself from the frustration you must simply say no or back away from situations that demand you to give and give. Its part of the self-love we owe ourselves. At the end of the day we are in control of our well-being, mental health, and life. The people around us must accept that truth.

I had to realize that helping people at my expense was not noble and instead it was unhealthy for me at times.  If I continued letting these acts happen it would only put my life on hold permanently.  They say being the go-to person will make you the go-nowhere person.

So next time you are put in a position where you cannot help doing yourself a favor and loving yourself first is the best choice. Everything and everyone else comes second.