It's the weekend and you just want to relax after a hectic week.
Or it's the weekday, you've had a tiring day and someone you know has made plans and invited you.
It's a close friend or relative, and you just can't say no because we live in a time where we must be polite.
Besides, saying no may affect your relationship with this person, and it isn't worth it. Is it?
Also, this new season of a show you like has just been released, and you already decided to order takeout and binge watch that show.
Going out is not on your agenda today. You just want to be left alone, sit on the couch or bed, and do nothing but spend time with the best person on this planet: YOU.
So, just how does one say no to invitations?
1) You're sick. This is the best excuse ever. Nobody wants to risk getting germs, now do they? A flu can really mess up daily life, and so just who wants to risk falling sick and miss out on work or important events.
Saying you have a headache will not gain you any sympathy, though. People might suggest you take an aspirin or paracetamol.
Make yourself sound really sick when you take that call from your friend.
2) Urgent work. This may be tricky. Again your friend may suggest you get to your work later on. You can spare an hour having fun and relaxing, right?
But you know that with that friend, an hour turns into three hours and by then your free time would have gotten over and you would have to collapse in bed.
Make it sound like this urgent work you have can impact you greatly if not finished.
3) Your family or close friend just dropped in unexpectedly. You simply can't throw people out of your house, now can you? Sorry, but you will have to cancel your plans to hang out. Maybe some other time?
Again, don't make concrete "other time" plans until you are absolutely sure you will want to hang out on that day.
4) You have to take care of someone else. Maybe you have a pet that isn't well? Or a family member that fell ill, and you can't leave them alone?
Surely, that's a valid excuse, right?
5) There's something wrong with the house. Maybe there's a leak somewhere? Your friend isn't going to expect you to leave your house when there's a possibility of flooding, right? And you have to wait for a plumber to come fix the problem. So you have to wait for them.
Of course, this won't work if your friend happens to know how to fix leaks and offers to come to your house to help.
6) You have no transport. Your car broke down. You have to walk quite a distance to catch a cab. It's the weekend and the buses are full.
Of course, if your friend plans to meet somewhere close to where you live, they may suggest you take a walk. So, use this excuse only if your friend has invited you to a location far from where you live.
7) You made plans with someone else. You have other friends, right? And they made plans and are forcing you to come. They simply won't take no for an answer.
Of course, if your friend knows you don't have any other friends, they'll not buy that excuse.
But you can always change it to your neighbour inviting you randomly and you don't want to say no because you want a friendly relationship with your neighbours.
8) Kids. Nobody is going to expect you to leave kids alone. It could be that you couldn't find a babysitter on time, or you're already committed to babysitting your niece or nephew or any other relative who is a toddler.
Or better yet, your neighbour begged you to look after their kids because they had to leave due to an emergency.
Just make sure that when you give out this excuse, your friend isn’t taking you to a kid-friendly place, or you'll be asked to bring the kid along.
9) You injured yourself. You were at the gym and sprained your back. Or you were running on the treadmill and twisted your ankle. You need complete rest, but don't worry, it's nothing serious. You'll be up and about in no time. Just not today.
Make sure you don't make the injury sound serious, or your friend will want to visit you and check up on you.
10) You have an exam to study for. You may have finished your school and college, but you were doing an online course, and your exam was scheduled for today.
You only have an hour to study before you have to sit for the exam which will take two hours.
There are several courses online, some of them free as well.
Just name a topic you have always been interested in studying, and hopefully, you'll be able to get off scot-free.
While you may crave to spend tune by yourself, it is good for mental health to socialise. If, however, you find yourself making excuses repeatedly, chances are you may either be depressed and have anxiety issues, or you have a problem with that person.
In that case, you need to address the problem and work on it.
It's okay to want some time to yourself once in a while, though, and if you can't be honest with that person regarding why you can't hang out, then you can use some excuse to not hang out.
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