This is a good exercise to see just how much they have on their plate. If their schedule isn’t completely full yet, remind them that they need time to rest and relax. Your friend can also work on telling others just how busy they are. That way, people might be less likely to add to their overloaded schedule.

You might say something like, “You wouldn’t accept a job that didn’t pay you any money. Your time has value! You don’t have to spend time on things you don’t want to. ”

You could say something like, “You know how you get a little angry every time someone asks for a favor? What if you didn’t have to feel like that anymore? If you just said no, you could still be friends with everyone, and you’d be way less stressed out by them. ” Saying no, can help across a wide variety of things from more self-trust, more self-love, more self-respect, and improve your emotional sense of well-being.

Say something like, “What if it were me? Would you tell me to back down and just do it, or would you tell me to stand up for myself?”

“Unfortunately, I’ll have to pass on that. ” “I’m sorry, but I’m not able to do that. ” “Thanks, but that’s not going to work for me. ” “Sadly, I can’t. ”

“I really appreciate you thinking of me, but I’m just too busy right now. ” “Thanks so much for the opportunity, but I’ll have to pass. ” “You coming to me really means a lot, but I just can’t fit that into my schedule. ”

“I know you don’t give up easily, but neither do I. I’m still going to have to say no. ” “Wow, you’re very passionate about this! I’m also very passionate about not overbooking myself. ”

Try to push them a little bit, too. The people in their life might not take their first no as an answer, so you shouldn’t either.

If you have any examples of saying no that you could tell your friend, that might help. For instance, you could say, “Just last month my daughter’s teacher asked me to direct the school play. I knew I couldn’t balance my full-time job and an after-school activity, so I declined. They gave the position to someone else, and the play is doing great!”