Every yes you didn’t mean is a loan your energy has to pay back.

A yes you did not mean does not disappear when you say it, it just gets scheduled. The cost turns up later as the Saturday you resent, the favor you do badly, the friend you are quietly annoyed with for asking. Nobody tricked you. You borrowed against a future afternoon because refusing in that moment felt harder.

Buy yourself time before answering. I will let you know tonight covers almost every situation. Then answer as the version of you who has looked at the week, rather than the version standing in a doorway trying to be agreeable.