In today's society, we are always told to do as much as you can, "be the best," "do everything," take nineteen hours, join as many clubs as you can on campus, go to the gym every day, get a job, participate in community service, find an internship, and that is just the beginning. It's exhausting.
Sometimes as (especially as girls) we feel as if we are obligated to make everyone happy. We feel like we have to have more achievements than the people we call our friends. We want to make our families proud, impress not only your boyfriend or the boy you like, but his friends and family as well.
It's exhausting feeling like you have to please everyone you come in contact with.
Finding a job is competitive. It's crucial to build up your resume and portfolio. Doing opportunities, such as a job, a leadership position in a club, or internship, takes time and mental capacity. Eventually trying to do everything that you can take a toll on you. You get fewer hours of sleep, you miss out on getting dinner with your friends, Friday night movie nights with your boyfriend turn into you panicking and working on homework. It becomes hard to relax.
But what can I do about this? How can I stop saying "yes" to everything?
In theory, it sounds easy to cut back on activities. All you have to say is, "No." That's it. Just two letters. How hard can it be? It can actually be very hard, but it's okay to say those two letters. You might think saying "No," makes you weak, but that's completely false. Saying "no" makes you strong. By saying that one word you are sticking up for yourself.
I have had to say no to some wonderful opportunities and resign from positions recently. However, saying "No," has helped me relax, focus on school, take time for myself (which I hardly do), and overall has helped my well-being.
To the girl that cannot say "no," I feel your pain. Just remember that saying no makes you stronger than you think and braver than you believe. You got this.
