I used to say yes to everything, even when my soul screamed no, and now I'm realizing how much of myself I gave away in the process. The worst part wasn't the giving, it was the resentment that grew like a mold, quietly poisoning everything I touched. And then, apologizing for being resentful on top of it all? God, I'm still digging myself out of that hole. The phantom limb of obligation still twitches sometimes. I have to remind myself that 'no' is a complete sentence, that my time is finite, and that 'disappointing' someone is not the same as failing them.