The weight of "No" and the guilt that follows
in Psychology ·
Nemrut Dag said:Learning through direct experience—that kind of stuff stays with you forever.
Sometimes saying "no" doesn't trigger a massive domino effect of issues—in fact, sometimes that "no" actually helps people in ways they don't even realize yet.
It definitely triggers something inside us. Honestly, everything we do triggers something.
As for whether others take advantage of that or not... well, that's on them to figure out—it isn't my responsibility to manage their awareness.
Here’s how I handle saying "no":
a) I only say it when I truly feel it's necessary—not just because someone expects it from me, and
b) I always give an explanation to a child (I think that part is pretty vital).
But if we're talking about adults, I assume there's a deeper level of communication involved—if they haven't picked up on those cues, it's not my job to spoon-feed them. It's a totally different story if they actually ask me to explain, but the question here was simple: "Can you tell someone NO without feeling a bit of guilt?" My answer is easy—yes, I can.🙂