“When you say ‘Yes’ to others, make sure you are not saying ‘No’ to yourself.” ~ Paolo Coehlo
During this time of year, we want to be engaged, see our friends, go to parties, give parties…say yes to fun and festivities at every opportunity. We also end up saying yes to things out of a sense of obligation. This type of yes usually leads to resentment and robs us of precious time we may want or need to spend on other things.
Saying ‘no’ is not a sin! It has been said many times that your ‘yes’ has no meaning if you can’t say ‘no’. By that, I mean if we say yes to everything and everyone, the importance of that yes becomes so diluted that is stops being special. It is no longer a gift we have to give, but a predictable and mundane response to life.
Saying no to some things during the holidays may make us feel like Scrooge, but if we try to do everything and leave no time for ourselves who are we serving? The gift-giving, merry-making can be exhausting! It’s okay to dial things back a bit. We all know and have been the person so overwhelmed by what we’ve committed to that we lose all the joy this season is supposed to bring. We are hassled, frazzled, and difficult to be around. Take a breath, take a soothing bath, take a night to sit back and stare at your Christmas tree over a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of wine…take some time to savor all the beautiful things around you and the people you love being around.
Say “yes” to yourself and “no” to some of the things you really don’t want to do. It may hurt the first couple of times you exercise your “no”, but you’ll get over it. “No” is just like a muscle: use it or lose it!