Guille Faingold

6 Times It's OK To Say 'No' To Your Friends

You absolutely adore your friends. Since childhood, some of your closest buddies have been making even your most stressful days easier, and more enjoyable to tolerate.

Because you love your friends dearly, you sometimes struggle to decline their requests. If you can relate to this scenario, you might be desperate for permission to refuse your pals' demands occasionally.

Whenever you're faced with the following situations, don't ever apologize for saying no to your friends:

Helping with Babysitting

Do some of your best friends have adorable kids? Perhaps, your pals frequently ask you to babysit their children while they go on vacations, run errands or enjoy date nights with their significant others. If you're tired of keeping others' kids all of the time, politely decline future babysitting requests.

Tell your friends you're truly fond of their kids, but inform them you need some free time to relax, spend quality time with your family members, complete work or do the things you enjoy doing.

To ease tensions between you and your buddies, you might want to recommend a few potential babysitters to them in the meantime.

Dating an Ex

Have you recently ended a long-term relationship with a significant other? Is one of your friends interested in dating your ex?

Imagine how awkward you might feel whenever you spot your friend and your ex together. Dating a friend's ex is typically viewed as off limits. If your friend asks permission to date someone who was once meaningful to you, don't hesitate to decline his or her request.

Share with your friend the reasons why this arrangement will negatively affect you. A true friend should understand your reasonable objections to this typical faux-pas.

Assisting with a Move

Is your friend planning to move for the third time in two years? Perhaps, this mobile friend is requesting your assistance with his or her move, even though you've already helped him or her the previous, two times.

If you'd rather get a root canal at your dentist's office than help your buddy move again, encourage him or her to find a professional moving company.

A reputable moving company can safely pack your friend's belongings, and securely transport them to your buddy's new residence. Even better, you won't have to worry about injuring your back while moving heavy boxes from your friend's home to a moving van.

Coming Over Repeatedly

Despite how much you like your friends, you probably don't want them to visit your home every day of the week. If your friends are coming over too often, politely inform them to stop.

Having friends at your home all of the time can cause friction in your other relationships. For instance, your significant other might begin to feel neglected. Consider asking your friends to take turns visiting everyone's homes in your group. Developing a schedule for friend visits is also a good idea.

For instance, you might agree to have your buddies over at your place on the first Saturday night of each month. Knowing when your pals are coming to your house will help you prepare for their visits better. 

Borrowing Money

If you're like many people, you work hard for your money. Because earning money isn't easy, you might feel uncomfortable when friends repeatedly ask to borrow cash from you.

You should never feel guilty for declining a friend's request for money. Before you can be charitable, you must first meet your own financial needs. Actually, refusing a friend's demands for money can be fruitful for him or her. This action might make your friend become more responsible for his or her financial needs.

Behaving Deceitfully

Do your friends ever ask you to act dishonestly? Whenever your friends ask you to behave deceitfully, don't feel bad about refusing their requests.

You might even need to ask yourself why you're friends with someone who values dishonesty in the first place. A simple misstatement of the truth can lead to dire consequences.

Special friendships last a lifetime. Thankfully, keeping a friend for life doesn't mean you have to always do everything your buddy asks you to do. True friends have mutual respect for each other. A genuine friend won't denounce you for refusing to grant his or her request. This type of friend will understand that you can't possibly say yes to everything.