Set Boundaries By Giving Yourself Time to Respond
I found a bit of interesting advice in an article that I wanted to share:
Let’s dive deeper into the power of “Let me get back to you.” Picture this: Your friend asks you to help them move on the same day you had planned a relaxing day at the beach. Instead of feeling pressured to say yes immediately, utilize the secret weapon of buying yourself some time. Respond with a witty yet polite “Let me check my schedule and get back to you.” This not only gives you the opportunity to assess your own priorities but also showcases your assertiveness and self-respect.
This is a good suggestion for those times when you feel the pressure to respond right away, don’t want to upset anyone, and just agree. It’s classic people-pleasing behavior. Far better to just give yourself a pause to make a better decision.
Just don’t overdo it. By that I mean don’t say yes to things you want to do and “I’ll get back to you” for everything you don’t want to do. We’ve all seen the jokes about the parents who say “I’ll think about it” and the child who knows that means no. Instead just use the pause, whether it’s a day, an hour, or even a few moments, to consider if this is something you want to do without the immediate internal pressure to people-please.
How do you set boundaries and overcome your default people-pleasing behavior? What advice would you give others still getting used to the idea of setting boundaries?
