How to say "no"?

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1

I have a problem saying no to my part time, and I’m just wondering what are some of the ways you can say no?

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You can give a reason to why you say no, im sure they will understand

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You can be direct about it. Saying “no” to something is a habit that takes time to practice. You need to do it several times in order to get used to it.
You can also provide a reason to justify why you are saying “no” to them so that they understand where you are coming from.
Beyond that, you can also figure out why you have a problem saying “no”. By getting to the heart of the issue, you can say “no” easier.

I hope you find something that can help you manage this problem. :slight_smile:

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As someone who has difficulties how to say no, I can share from experience that it’s not easy to get into the habit of doing.

But I think the first step starts with being able to recognise situations where you should say no to. For example, if your workload is already overbearing, even though it might seem like a nice gesture, don’t take up new requests when people ask you for help. Or when you know the person requesting something from you is taking advantage of your kindness, try to say no more.

After that, it’s more about recognising your limits and where to draw the line. For me there’s usually a little inkling at the back of my mind telling me no, you shouldn’t do this or no, i should do this instead. Now it’s whether to listen to it or not, but it’s a trial and error effort. Once you continue doing it, you’ll be able to set clearer boundaries with yourself and others :slight_smile:

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i agree with blue and mooshbeans! i used to have trouble saying no to my pt jobs in the past too, so i totally get where you’re coming from. personally, i think that the beginning is always the most difficult, which is saying no to them directly. once you have crossed this hurdle, it’ll start to become easier and easier :slight_smile:

personally, i always give a reason as to why i can’t do the shift, e.g. “sorry i can’t make it because…”. it will definitely be hard at the start, but i promise it’ll get easier with practice!

if you feel a sense of guilt when saying no to them, perhaps you can remind yourself that you are human and ultimately only a part-timer; and that you need to fulfill your roles and responsibilities in other aspects of your life as well. that’s what i do :sweat_smile:

hope this helps!