Episode 724: Making Space to Shine – Saying No Without Guilt (Mindset & Self-Care)

EBT724 – Making Space to Shine – Saying No Without Guilt

Intro  00:01

Hey food bloggers. Thank you so much for joining me in this mindset and self-care focused episode here on Eat Blog Talk. One of the reasons I started a blog talk was to hold a space to talk about the importance of mindset and self-care. Being an entrepreneur can be a lot. If we are not taking care of ourselves, then getting actionable information about SEO Pinterest or whatever else is all moot. I will meet you back here every Wednesday to discuss various mindset and self-care topics. So you have the energy and space to tackle the rest.

Hello everyone. Welcome to this mindset episode on Eat Blog Talk. So happy you’re here joining me again today. I would love to explore something that so many of us, myself included, carry quietly and that is guilt that comes to the surface every time we say no.

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Whether it’s saying no to a visit, maybe family is visiting or friends are visiting and you know it’s going to drain your energy. Or maybe it’s saying no to a client that you know is not aligned with you or your values. Or maybe it’s saying no to an invitation that feels more like an obligation than fun.This episode is your reminder that saying no is not selfish. Saying no is actually a divine yes to yourself.

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It is your soul whispering choose alignment over misalignment. I’m going to tell you a little story. So recently I was realizing how much I had packed into my life and my schedule without fully acknowledging how busy and intense this season of my life had become. Between travel events, graduation, birthdays, etc. Family coming into town for extended periods of time and just staying on top of work and everything else in life, I started feeling massive amounts of heaviness creeping in.

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And rather than pushing through like I normally would have in the past, I actually took a pause after receiving a few warning signs from my body.

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I looked at my to do list really honestly and I chose five work related things to decline, not put off for a later date. Which is also something I used to do a lot or not reschedule. I just allowed myself to release them. This is not easy. Every one of those knows poked at an old part of me that wanted to prove myself, perform and please other people.

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But after I said each no, something really sacred happened. I felt a ton lighter. I felt more like myself. I felt like I could breathe again. Here’s another little story.

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So this week is the week leading up to our Big Montana road trip that we take every year. We’ve been kind of knee deep in planning and logistics. We also just got done hosting my dad and my stepmom for two weeks and all the other stuff going on in life. We’ve been feeling depleted from weeks of just doing, serving, giving, loving.

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Every part of my logical mind told me that I shouldn’t do what I wanted to do, which was to take a trip this week for three days with my family to Ohio to go ride some roller coasters and just let loose a little bit.

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Every single part of my brain said, stay home. Prepare for the Montana trip. Be responsible. But deep in my soul I felt this whisper just saying, you guys need the joy. You need to create that space.

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You need to be together. You, all of you need your people. So we did something that felt kind of rebellious in a way. We took a last minute trip to King’s Island in Ohio. It’s one of our, actually probably our favorite theme park of all the theme parks we’ve ever been to.

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It is a really great park. This decision was not practical, it was not sensible, but it felt aligned. The moment we pulled out of our driveway Tuesday morning, I felt a shift happen. We just got back from the trip last night and yes, we were exhausted. It was a really quick trip out and back and packed with walking and steps and activity.

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But it filled my tank. It filled all of our tanks in the deepest way, in the most important way. And it didn’t just fill my tank. It reminded me of who I am when I stop performing and doing what I think I need to do and just start living. So here are a couple lessons surrounding the whole topic of saying no without the guilt.

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1. Your body is really wise when it whispers to you. Slow down. Listen. Declining something before you collapse is not weakness.

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It is actually wisdom. It is a sacred act of preservation that opens space for your true self to emerge. 2. Not every good thing is yours to carry. Releasing tasks, expectations or roles that once fit but no longer serve you is an invitation to returning to wholeness.

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The old stories of proving yourself, pleasing other people, even pleasing yourself and just pushing through do not get to write your next chapter. 3. Alignment rarely asks for logic. It asks for truth. When you say no to the noise and yes to the quiet call of your soul, miracles will follow.

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Joy returns, clarity arises, and you remember that you are not here to survive your life. You are here to live your life. And here are three key points that align with this topic. 1. Saying no is not rejection.

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It’s a sacred return to you, to being who you truly are deep down. Each know you speak in alignment is a doorway back to who you truly are. So your essence. You are not pushing people or opportunities away. You are pulling your spirit back home.

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Number two, your body and soul are trustworthy guides when your nervous system tightens, when your breath shortens, and when joy is gone. These are not glitches to ignore. They are invitations to make a different choice. 3. Boundaries don’t close doors, they open portals.

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The boundaries you set in love create space for joy, rest and presence to come in. They protect your energy so you can show up more fully to what actually matters. Here’s a practice for you guys. Ask yourself where in my life am I saying yes out of guilt or fear? What would happen if I chose truth over obligation and an affirmation if you need one.

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Today every know I speak with love creates space for my light to shine. So as you move through the week, I invite you to just listen closely. Tune in not just to your calendar or your obligations, but to that quiet wisdom that lives inside of you. That moment when your breath shortens, your body tightens, or your joy fades.

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Or maybe there’s something that happens in your body that is a signal that you just know means you need to slow down.

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Whatever it is, that’s your signal. You don’t have to push through it. You don’t need to earn your rest or explain your no. You get to choose. You get to pause.

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You get to protect the sacred flame that lives inside of you. Saying no is not shutting a door. It is opening a gate to something bigger, truer, lighter. And that aligns with you. So release what no longer fits, giving you permission right now.

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Let your boundaries become bridges to lead you back to your light. And trust that when you honor yourself, everything else aligns. I hope this topic resonates. I hope you liked this. Thank you so much for joining me today. I’m so excited to see you next week. 

Outro 

Thank you so much for listening to this mindset and self care episode. These mindset episodes are now available on YouTube, so watch it over there. Search Eat Blog Talk on YouTube and we’ll see you there.