Just Say "No"

This has been the most difficult lesson of my life to learn, something I struggle with a lot, this ability to say "no." It may stem from my role as the middle child, always wanting to please, always wanting everyone to be happy, but I always immediately say, "Sure!" when asked to do some sort of social obligation or whatever. Freelance jobs, etc. Then my friend Kate imparted some wisdom (as she is wont to do): "let your 'no' mean 'no' and your 'yes' mean 'yes.'

So I stopped saying 'yes' when I really feel like saying 'no' so that I can stop making excuses last minute to bail out of plans. I've come to realize that my favorite plans are cancelled plans. I am such a hermit. Because I love my time alone. I love my hobbies, my books, my front porch. I work better on a spontaneous schedule, and with Dirk's new job and hours, our only plan on our day off is to NOT make plans.

Lately, I've been getting overwhelmed with committed plans. I feel like every minute of my day and after has been planned out for me, and this is when I start to get the cold sweats. I wake up in the middle of the night and start thinking about all the things I 'have' to do and then I work myself into a tizzy and can't get back to sleep.

It's not that I don't like having friends who invite me to participate in activities, I know that I am fortunate (everyday), I just have issues with over-obligating myself. And some weeks I just want to reserve the right to hibernate. I'm definitely having one of those weeks. A park-myself-on-the-porch-with-my-book kind of week. A lay-on-the-couch-watching-awful-tv kind of week. An edit-photos-taken-last-month kind of week.

What are some ways in which you, my blogging buddies, deal with over-committing your spare time? Am I the only one who ever feels overwhelmed by too many extra-curricular obligations?

xoxo