Thinking Out Loud

Embracing NOvember…

It’s NOvember…yes, I said no! Before I confuse us all too much, myself included, let me explain what I am leading into;

Over the last few weeks I have noticed a reoccurring theme in conversations with clients – how difficult they find it to say ‘no’ to others. Many expressed feelings of guilt when they used it, some didn’t kNOw how not to say it and others simply didn’t kNOw it’s perfectly ok to say it.

Talking through this once familiar territory with them reminded me of how I use to do it too. By saying yes to others simply to please them only served at making me feel frustrated and angry at myself. Nobody wants to feel like that yet somehow I would repeat the behaviour pattern until I ended up exploding and inevitably calming down before ending up like the label on a shampoo bottle – repeat, lather, rinse, repeat, lather, rinse. Productive? No! Thankfully I learned to speak my truth knowing that it was ok to do so once it was done in a positive manner.

If you find this a familiar scenario then now is the time to remind yourself that A) Guilt is a useless emotion so let it go and even more importantly B) No. Is a perfectly acceptable complete sentence, no further explanation is necessary so stop over explaining yourself! And C) Learning to say no will help you to set healthy boundaries while showing yourself respect.

This month I am encouraging you to try and put it into practice – if you find yourself saying yes but your heart is screaming no, take a deep breath before answering calmly. NO can be a highly positive and empowering word so don’t be afraid to embrace it!

Beth @ Ahimsa ॐ

* this months piece is as intentionally short yet as positive as the word no itself can be and I would like to dedicate it to all those out there learning to speak their truth.