I'm the type of person who will always say yes to my friends. If they ask me for a favor, or to hang out, or go somewhere, I almost always say yes, unless I have a legitimate excuse. I'll say yes even if I don't want to hang out, simply because I want to always be there for my friends. But sometimes you have to say no to your friends, no matter how hard, for your own mental sanity.

My friends are the kind of people that always want to hang out and be together, which is fun for about a week. Being an introvert, it gets exhausting spending dawn till dusk with the same people day after day. I found myself agreeing to hang out with them even though I just wanted to sit in my room by myself. It's not like I didn't want to hang out with them, I just needed time to recharge. But I still didn't say no to them. So instead I got snappy and annoyed with them even though nothing was different.

Finally, I had enough and told my friends I needed time to myself. It started with excuses, like too much homework, but eventually, I just started to tell them I needed space for myself. I don't know why people, or maybe just me, struggle to say no, but once you get over the surface fear, saying no to people can help you stay mentally awake throughout your day.

I'm a people pleaser, so I basically spend all my time trying to make everyone else but myself happy.

Obviously, this is an impossible task, but I keep trying anyway. I find myself calling my friends when I get food, asking them if they want me to pick them up anything, or running their errands for them. While I don't mind doing all this for people, doing it constantly is tiring. Saying no has let me step back and do things for myself.

Pushing myself to say no and be honest about it has improved my confidence as well as my relationships. It's allowed me to say what I'm really doing and what I really want rather than pretend to be busy or hang out despite needing time alone. It's also let my friends know that sometimes I just need time to myself, and that, while I love them, too much time together can drive anyone a little batty.

My advice to anyone who's like me and never says 'no' is to just start with something little. If they ask for a favor say you can't do it right now or that they should ask someone else. While I still say yes a lot, I found that starting small is really the best way to get yourself to say no to the people you care about. Also, stay strong when you say no. Some friends might feel bad about you not wanting to hang out. Just explain yourself to them and all will end well.