NO!
FORGETFUL
Are you forgetful? Do you walk into a room and forget the reason you are there? Well, you are not alone, my dears.
Just two weeks ago, I forgot to make a blog post here, but you want to know something? I am happy that I forgot. I’m happy that I dropped the ball because I was juggling a lot of balls. I was edging myself, task by task, to burn out.
Note from the author: THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOUR FORGETFULNESS IS BECAUSE OF BURNOUT… MINE WAS DUE TO BURNOUT, AND THERE ARE SO MANY OTHERS WHO CAN RELATE TO THIS!
BURN OUT
Sometimes we go through life at one hundred miles an hour, while swerving through traffic only going thirty miles, and simultaneously juggling personal dilemmas, work strife, exercise demands, volunteering whatsits, (and if you’re a mama or something close to it) everyone else’s personal, work, exercise, and volunteering stuff. We’ve got a lot going on.
According to Psychology Today, “Between the pressure to get more things in a day done then [than] we are sometimes capable of and the easy access to smart tools, we switch our brain frantically between tasks[,] which causes an overload of the brain’s processing capacity and we burn out.”
Juggling too much may be a fantastic circus trick, but it’s not healthy for you. You, just like I do, need to learn the word NO.
NO
No is a functional word used to express negation, denial, refusal, or the absence of something, and it can be used as an adverb, adjective, or noun, depending on how we say it. No is a complete sentence. No is a way of life. No means no. NO!
When you use the word no, you are actually saying yes to yourself. You’re saying yes to more time with your loved ones, you are saying yes to more time with yourself, you are saying yes by saying no in so many ways.
MAKE THE BOUNDARY
“I am so honored that you asked me to do this. I am booked until the end of June with my new book release, Into the Void. It’s the third installment of my novella series Times of Our Lives. Even though I can’t take this on, I can recommend someone in my place who may have some extra time on their hands, or you can check back with me in July.”
[Peep the shameless book advertisement…]
It’s as easy as writing it out for yourself to remember.
You can practice at home. Make up yes or no scenarios in your head, and then say, “No!” out loud.
Every yes has a cost to your mental load. Just for your viewing pleasure, I made you a flow chart.
HOW YOU’LL FEEL AT FIRST
It’s not going to be automatically freeing… That person who wants everyone to be happy is going to be uncomfortable for a short while. This will pass. Your no’s will eventually feel freeing (you may even scream on top of your lungs).
Then one day, your no’s won’t feel like a thing at all. You’ll know that you are worth more than someone else’s comfort. You are allowed to feel comfortable saying no.
LET’S WRAP THIS UP
Learn to balance yourself without burning yourself out. Learn to say yes to your mental health needs. Learn to say no when you don’t have time, mental capability, or when you just don’t want to do it. Learn to love yourself enough to take your mental health seriously.
🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜
I’d love to hear from you. Tell me about a time you said no, and it felt good. Share it to hello@dinagalarzamapes.com—let's celebrate your accomplishments together. If you or someone you know is dealing with mental illness, please reach out to anyone. If you can’t talk to anyone, please dial or text 988, or even message me at my email address above.
