I couldn’t have said it better myself. I have been a pleaser my whole life. It’s who I am and it was part of how I was brought up. Just be nice, even if it meant I was miserable. I have learned to say no. It has been hard, I had a lot of guilt at first. But the more I started to say no, I realized I was saying yes to myself.

Part of this process was learning not to take negativity personally. If someone was unhappy, it wasn’t my job to make it better. If someone was negative, it didn’t mean it was my fault.

I have learned to walk away from negativity and it has saved a lot of wasted energy, anxiety and unhappiness. I don’t waste time in conversations with people trying to convince them of my point of view. I no longer absorb the negative energy of others, its too draining to do anymore. I’ve worked on being aware of this energy and blocking it.

I have learned to walk away, and not take it personally. I don’t worry whether I did something wrong anymore. I am free from other people’s emotions and more focused on my own happiness.

I can’t control other people, I can only control how I react. I choose to ignore those that suck the energy out of me. I choose my happiness first.