How can I stop allowing people to take advantage of me?

Question

How can I stop allowing people to take advantage of me?

Answer 1

My favorite sister had the same problem. (she's my ONLY sister.) I went out and had her a t-shirt made up that said... NO! NO, NO, Not now, not EVER, NOT ON YOUR LIFE, SO DON'T ASK! She would run inside and put it on for certain company. Worked good.

Answer 2

You just stop.

But know that if you do not stop, you're also using them. You're using them for their approval and not doing things out of concern for them. There are no victims if you continue to be taken advantage of.

Answer 3

Carry mace.

Answer 4

Be paranoid and suspicious like me. That's the healthy way to go.

Answer 5

Gain courage & put your foot down, don't be a doormat for people to walk over.

Answer 6

if you have poor eye contact, poor posture and your body language says to others that you are not as confident, they will see this as an invitation to TRY to take advantage of you.  just what the other person said, just say no.

Answer 7

Don't be too nice..you might be giving off vibes that other people ""smell." (they might think "she's so sweet..how could she say no."

You can be nice, but being too nice can be a curse sometimes.

Practice how to say no to yourself...or practice to a friend, even if it's something little.   Eventually, it becomes easier later on.  I'm having an easier time saying no myself, compared to how I was feeling a few weeks ago.

Answer 8

Just say no.

Answer 9

(Due to lack of background info I will have to assume in order to answer)

Ok I am guessing friends/family/co-workers as the perpetrators....

Stand up for your self. Make a mental list, those that help you out about the same you help them out keep close and those that never help out drop them.

Pretty simple, every person lives in there own perceptional universe. Those that use or abuse you un-invite them to your universe.

      Probably easier said than done, because user's try to act like " why are you whining?" and that kind of stuff to distract you or make you feel bad but ignore them.

       Put your foot down and keep it down.

Answer 10

Get a Mac11 that's what I have. And take a self defense class. I'm a good marksman (sharp shooter). Or should I say markswoman?

Answer 11

Honestly, I am one of the people that have a hard time telling people No.  I have literally stopped answering my phone when certain people call now because all they ever wanted was to use me, or ask me for favors and I was sick of it.   Sadly, most of these people are my own family members.  It has worked.  Even when they leave a message I don't call them back because they will say things like "Hey, call me when you get a chance, I need to talk to you about "something"."  And these people haven't actually had a conversation with me in over 2 years.  They never want to just talk...they only want to find out what I can do for them.  

Good luck...and I'm sorry you are having to go through this.  I know how it makes a person feel.

Answer 12

Stay firm & learn to say 'No'.

It's like that old adage where, "one needs to be cruel in order to be kind". Know your limits and stick with it.

Answer 13

Join a club for women. Women's "clubs" are scary ! :-D

Answer 14

Stop needing people to feel good, important, attractive, etc.

Once you have a sense of INNER worth, you'll be much harder to take advantage of. You'll start looking at situations differently.

I can't be taken advantage of because of the following reasons:

1. I don't do anything for nothing

2. My social life/status is not #1 on my list of priorities

3. I often ask myself what makes a person "worthy" of my help or even my attention.

I can't be taken advantage of simply because I have nothing to offer anyone who has nothing to offer me. Yes.. "sounds" selfish, but in REALITY its what I would call "true fairness".