No is a Complete Sentence…ESPECIALLY During the Holidays!

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My favorite word is NO.
No. No. No. No.
Just a simple no accomplishes so so much.

With all of the insanity that happens during the holidays, it is so easy to bite off more than you can chew. In fact, it’s almost expected of you to be overwhelmed. Nope, I don’t play that game. Yes, work is busy. Yes, there are presents to buy. Yes, there are parties to attend. Yes, there’s food to make. So much to say “yes” or “ok, fine” to – and it can really put a strain on you. Think about it: How many times do you say yes to something because you feel obligated, but not because you really want to? Should we all be raising our hands here? We’re all guilty of it at least once in our lives. We say yes to all of these commitments because we think “we have to,” but really we don’t have to do anything we don’t want to do.

Take it for what it’s worth, but I’m going to give you permission to SAY NO.

Say NO to that extra Secret Santa gift exchange unless you’re really pumped about it.
Say NO to that extra cocktail party if you’re not feeling 100%, take care of you first.
Say NO to making an extra dozen cookies for Susie’s school party. Storebought works just as well.
Say NO to buying gifts for people if it stresses you out, or you’re broke, and you have no ideas. Gift them your time & presence instead.

You may be thinking this is all well and great, “but I just can’t say no to _____.” I promise you that you can. You may have some serious FOMO, but really, what will you miss out on? Consider it carefully. Staying up way too late? Getting a Secret Santa gift that you really hate? Spending the money you’d rather save? A few good Instagram opportunities? What will one instance of saying “no” do for you? Less stress. Less overwhelm. More time for you (or partners or kids). More rest. More of whatever you need to do for you.

What will other people think of me if I say NO to _____?
Adopt one of my favorite mantras: “What other people think of me is none of my business.” Say no. Move on.

There won’t be any _____ if I don’t _____?
Ok, then how badly do you need_____? Can you ask someone else to do/get it? Do you have something else that could be a substitute? Is it going to absolutely ruin Christmas if one thing doesn’t happen? Doubtful.

But this is a huge holiday party, I have to go even though I’m tired/sick/over it/something else?
What’s going to happen if you don’t go to this party? Is the sky going to fall? Is your company going to collapse? Probably not. Don’t feel obligated to party if you’d rather sleep.

It’s up to you how you decide to spend your holiday. If that’s hustled, stressed, and overwhelmed because you can’t say no to every little thing, do your thing. However, if you want to design your holiday to be more chill and about the things YOU want to celebrate this holiday season, you’ll have to say no somewhere along the way. And that’s ok!

Go forth. Live your holiday dreams. Say no to the things that don’t excite you and yes to the things you’d like! Happy Holidays!

What are you saying ‘yes’ to during this holiday? What are you saying ‘no’ to?