Learning to say ‘No’ will save you from draining relationships and friendships
I am a walking human dustbin, a dumping ground for other people’s emotions. For many years I thought I had some kind of spiritual gift, a neon sign that said, ‘Come and talk to me’.
People I barely knew would tell me their life story and even their darkest secrets. I used to take it all in without a second thought because I felt privileged to be that person for them. However, the older I get the more I realise that some people like to dump their crap on you.
It took its toll on my mental health by leaving me drained unable to cater to my own needs because I was busy worrying about other people’s problems. Sometimes I would even offer to do favours, helping people out even though I barely had time for myself. That was a mistake. It left me feeling resentful, angry and regretful. Energy vampires feel that they are entitled to your time, that you are at their beck and call.
There are people in my life who will often ask me to do things that are unreasonable, yet they feel that they are entitled to my help. My day-to-day life is very busy, I am a working single parent who simply does not have time for anything rather I have to calve out time to get anything…