Just Say No!

‘Just Say No’

Dawn-Renee Rice



For all of us Gen-X’ers out there, we remember that phrase from Nancy Reagan and her Drug Free initiative back in the ‘80’s.  It was a phrase to be remembered when we were pressured by our peers to do things that we knew were wrong and harmful to us.  But we’re adults now so we don’t have to worry about peer pressure….or do we? 



What about the pressure to be the perfect parent, perfect spouse, perfect employee, perfect (fill in the blank here)?  It’s hard to say no to all of the things that can be distractions in our lives.  Is it more important to stay late at the office to finish one more thing or to be at your child’s school program?  How about those phone calls and emails to join this club, or volunteer for that program?  What about those of us who have been so active in our communities that we lost sight of why we are even doing those activities to begin with?  We may have even lost sight of ourselves!



What does this have to with my well-being you might say? Let me tell you.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily flurry of activities and distractions that we end up overworked, tired, stressed out, and run down to the point of exhaustion.  That can’t be good for our bodies, our minds, or our spirits and our personal and professional lives suffer.  So is it really worth it?



Let’s ask ourselves what we can do to minimize the stress and not cave in to the pressure.  Below are a few ideas of what to do:



1.          Say No.  (it really is that simple)

2.          Look at your schedule and try to determine ways that you can cut back and actually do it!

3.          Schedule quiet time for yourself and follow through with it – turn off the cell phone, TV, radio or whatever else is a distraction to you and either enjoy some quiet or relaxing music.

4.          Schedule family time on the calendar like a regular appointment, and KEEP THAT APPOINTMENT.  Your family will thank you!



Obviously there’s more that we can all do to balance our emotional, mental and physical well being.  But all it takes is a few changes each day and they become habits worth keeping.