Welcome back. It's another episode of the savvy psychologist and I'm your host

Dr Ellen Hendrickson where every week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

And this week's episode goes out with big thanks to listener Stephanie from Adelaide South Australia

who sent me a lovely email that inspired me this week when I was dragging.

So on to today's episode.

So this word is one of the smallest,

shortest words in the English language,

but one of the hardest to say.

This week we'll talk about seven ways to say no and maybe not even feel guilty.

Because we've all been there. We're mining our own business when we get a call, an email, or a what's happening

office space style cubicle visit and that other F word gets lobbed at us, favor. And sometimes of course we say yes, we're delighted to help out. It's

fun, rewarding, or win-win. But sometimes we feel anything but delighted. We feel bad, obligated, resentful, or pressured.

And it's almost guaranteed, we feel guilty.

So today, let's talk about why not to feel guilty when you say no to coming in on

Saturday, coordinating the preschool fun fair for the third year in a row, or

loaning your pickup truck to your friend who's moving this weekend.

That plus seven concrete ways to say no

from beginner to a ninja.

So let's start with why you shouldn't feel guilty about saying no.

Well, first, guilt is an emotion reserved for when you do something wrong.

If you hurt someone, it's appropriate to feel guilty.

Now, saying no might create a little extra work for the person you're declining because now they

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