15/06/2026
When someone asks you to do something that you can’t or don’t want to do (obviously apply nuance here) a boundary that all empaths and people pleasers need to learn is how to say….
🔥 “That doesn’t work for me” 🔥
(oof uncomfortable for many people I know 🙈)
Not endless “I’m so sorry but….”
Or “Yes I’ll make that work”
Or “Don’t worry it’s ok, I can…”
Just a simple “that doesn’t work for me” 🫶🏼
No explanations of why it doesn’t work.
No justifying what you’re doing instead.
No negotiating your boundaries to make others lives easier at your expense.
Offer an alternative if you want to, but you don’t need to constantly rearrange your whole life to accommodate others needs and then feel burned out as a result.
Highly sensitive people, empaths, people pleasers etc, all tend to feel the discomfort of saying no or feel awkward for the other person and so we naturally try to bridge the gap.
🔥 But psychologically this doesn’t make people respect you more. It just makes them value you less.
You have to respect yourself first, and that’s means actually valuing your own needs, in order for others to value you too.
This will then affect the types of friendships and romantic relationships you entertain, as the people who were only using you will disappear.
With love,
Mel ❤️