The Art of Saying No
You need to say "no" more. The word "no" is one of the single best tools you have to protect your time and energy. We all love to please people all the time. We feel pressured to say yes to anybody and everything, because we don't want to let others down. It's normal yet it's a behavior that needs to be unlearned.
The more we say yes to anything, the more we lose the ability to have agency over how we spend our lives. If you're constantly reacting to those around you, and giving up your time as a result, you'll never live the life that you want to live. Your whole life will be a culmination of what others wanted you to do. You can't let that happen.
Saying no means you are making choices that align with what you want to do and who you truly want to be. Prioritization is a skill. Being able to prioritize your true needs and desires unlocks your ability to live life on your terms. Let yourself have autonomy. You deserve to have the ability to live your life how you'd like.
So stop always people pleasing. Your time is valuable. Take control of it. Allocate it how you want, not how others want. That's how you make the most of life: by doing what you deep down want. With people pleasing, you're setting yourself up to be taken advantage of. People will keep asking, because they know you'll say yes, sucking your time dry.
By getting in the habit of saying no, you avoid this. You avoid exhaustion and burnout. You avoid stress and anxiety. You take matters into your own hands. No more letting people walk all over you. Start valuing yourself. You are important and valuable. How you spend your life is precious, and it's your decision, nobody else's.