Those who agree with everything and will not refuse anything.
Those from whom you will not hear "inconvenient questions" and negative emotions, who are not able to declare themselves and their needs.
Those who do not have the inner strength to resist external circumstances and perhaps (oh God!) change the course of history.
Those who are easiest to make into driven, uninitiative creatures.
From childhood, we raise a docile, self-willed society of people who are easier to control. And then we marvel at the fruits of our upbringing. Where did the real men go? all around are "mama's little girls"! – can be heard from one side of the barricade.

And where are the "real women"? Wise, fulfilled, inspired and happy? The ones with whom you want to stay for a long time, forever... - another part of humanity echoes them. And each of them is right in its own way. But you need to start with yourself. So, let's start.

Why is it important to learn to say "no" or what does the lack of this skill lead to
Obviously, the desire to please everyone and everything, unfortunately, does not give a person either happiness, love, or strong relationships. And, most importantly, takes away from himself, from his goals and, accordingly, from his own life.

But, unfortunately, this is not everyone. Over time, due to the fact that a person stops listening to himself, his needs, this leads to such a phenomenon as psychosomatics. It is no secret that our psyche is closely connected with the body. When we stop hearing our inner voice, the body starts "screaming" for it. So that we finally love ourselves, pay attention to ourselves, and not try to live for others. The "crying of the body" is expressed in various diseases, starting from fatigue, colds, excess weight, ending with depression, loss of meaning and even cancer...

Shift responsibility to others. Key phrase: "Well, if you think it's necessary..."
Make others come to the conclusion that you have no choice, and yourself, after some hesitation, agree with their opinion. For example, when your friend once again asks you to help her a little on the country plot, mumble about the new trick of your superiors - to work on Saturdays, and say: "The boss promised to fire everyone who does not show up tomorrow, but will you help me find a job?"
Most likely, she will ask you not to stress for her sake. This method is the most effective. Therefore, do not resort to it often - the effect is lost from constant repetitions.
How to "protect" your borders
In the literal sense, you need to protect your borders, as border guards do between states. It is hardly possible to imagine such a picture that one state moves the borders of another and says: "Well, we stand here, we like it here better"... If this happens in real life, military actions begin...

So, your boundaries are your personal space. Psychological, emotional, territorial. This is not something ephemeral, but very concrete. Your boundaries start where you feel uncomfortable. Your inner feeling is the best delimiter of boundaries. But for this you need to be very attentive to yourself and clearly know your needs, desires and goals. As soon as you feel that the actions of another person cause you discomfort (go against your goals, desires and needs), it is important to declare it.
You should not expect that this man himself will guess that you are too tired to fulfill his request, or that he should treat you differently. He is not psychic. Your direct responsibility to yourself and to him is to tell him about it. In this way, you, as it were, apply markings, making your boundaries visible not only to yourself, but also to others. Only in this way will you be able to build harmonious relations with both the immediate and distant environment.

You have never noticed that there are people to whom it is impossible to say something rude, to treat them without respect. No one would even think of dealing with them in such a way. Why so?

Because they value and love themselves. They do not doubt for a moment where their boundaries begin and show it to the world with all their looks and actions. Being able to say "no" does not mean being bad and losing the love of a loved one.

Being able to say "no" when you don't have the strength to fulfill someone's request means showing self-love. This causes respect and careful treatment of you. When you show love to yourself, you get love in return.