Lose Your Stress: Just Say No

The lives of many women these days are unbelievably busy. Their schedules are overflowing. Between work and responsibilities at home, it’s very hard to strike the right balance and get any time to yourself to relax. But yet you keep taking on more and more responsibilities. Maybe you're the person your family calls when they need emotional support. Do your friends phone you up all the time to discuss their problems? Are you the first person called when a replacement is needed for the kids' carpool?

Lots of women have a difficult time saying no unless they have a good excuse. But what happens if you simply don’t want to do something you're being asked to do? Maybe you’re too exhausted to bake cookies for the kids' bake sale. Do you say something? Not likely, if you’re one of those people who always get taken advantage of. You can’t depend on your family, friends, or colleagues to realize if you're overburdened. That's your job to figure out.

It’s good to be caring, involved and helpful, but if it’s leading to high stress levels because you can never have enough time to yourself, it can soon become more than a personal issue. It can be damaging to your health, both physical and mental. You need to learn how to make yourself your first priority and let others have only what you can spare. Remember, there's only so much you can do until you have nothing left, and no reserves to fall back on when you collapse.

Sometimes people will take advantage of you deliberately because they’re too lazy to handle their own problems. But you’re not doing them any favors by taking over for them whenever they call. Being a caregiver means you need to learn to take care of yourself first. Then you’ll be better able to meet other people’s needs.

You have to make a conscious effort to get time to yourself. Turn off the phone, both the cell and the landline. Shut down the computer, and just relax with your favorite activity. If you’re out shopping or enjoying a meal at a restaurant, there's no need for people to interrupt your enjoyment and your chance to lose your stress.