Things I Remind Myself ...

First and foremost I am allowed to say NO.

No is a complete sentence and I do not need to explain it or justify it.

I do not need to make someone else’s problems my own. I can be supportive without taking on problems as my own.

I have my own life, my own wants and my own needs that need to be attended to. It is okay to make time for myself and I should do so without guilt or reservation.

Just because someone wants me to feel guilty does not always mean that I should. Have I caused you harm? Did I hurt your feelings? Did I apologize?

My friends are the people in my life that make the effort to be in my life an I in theirs. My friends are the people that know my wishes and my dreams, they do not try to steer my life for me.

My friends are my support system. I make the effort to be apart of their lives because they make the same effort for me.

I do not need to carry a friendship all on my own. It is okay to step back and say “I will not alter my life to fit theirs. My time is of value too.”

My family is important, more than anything else.

It is okay for me to drop everything for family when they need me.

I will give the respect that I receive. I am a human being deserving of being treated as such and respected as a person, an equal.

These are a few things in life that took me a long time to learn. Little mantras I chant to myself through the day when I need them. But most importantly these are the things in life that allow me to live a happy life.

These are the types of reminders I need every now and then when I find myself between a rock and a hard place in any given relationship. Because while I would do anything for the people I love I will not prioritize my life when I am only an option in theirs.