Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm the least assertive person you could possibly meet, and will probably only say no to something when I'm at breaking point.
I do believe that so much of my life would be different if I was able to put my foot down without fearing that the other person will physically attack me or something because I said no.
I think masking and alexithymia play a big part that for a chunk of our lives we go along with things that everyone else does without realising we can say no. Setting boundaries gets easier with practise, people don't like it at first but they get used to it. Oftentimes I need time to process what it is I need or want. Burnout has taught me the importance of saying "no".
I think it's definitely masking or something like that. I'm too concerned about offending the other person simply by saying no when I could probably put myself first more.
I've been able to do it in very small doses but not setting some kind of boundary has gotten me into dangerous situations.