Part of the reason we’re all overwhelmed, stressed out and overworked is because so many of us have a hard time saying “no.”

This is especially true if you’re a people pleaser—someone who wants to be liked and cared about so much that you sacrifice your own wants, needs and desires to achieve that goal.

For those of us who work in a service industry like insurance, people pleasing is a common malady—and we sometimes go beyond our intent to serve by sacrificing too much, leading to feelings of overwhelm and burnout. This “nice person” syndrome often puts us in a position where we feel obligated to take on challenges we don’t feel we’re actually suited for.

I’m not suggesting you should deflect every request or communication that makes you feel uncomfortable. It’s simply important to identify what you currently have on your to-do list, and be present in balancing the demands of others with your own personal threshold day to day.

Learning how to say no gracefully can go a long way toward opening up your calendar and relieving your stress level. If you’re someone who has a particularly difficult time saying “no,” you may find two little words useful: “respectfully decline.”

Try it out—it’s a response that works for a variety of requests: “Could you serve another year on the board?” “We would like you to spend an additional four hours at the function—what do you think?” “While we’re short-staffed, can you help with two other employees’ workload?”

Leveraging “respectfully decline,” your response may go something like this: “I’m honored and I’d really like to be able to help you with your board opening, but at this time I’m going to have to respectfully decline.” “What I can do instead is send an email out to three or four people to let them know you’re looking to fill the position. Would that help?”

Some people believe saying “I'm sorry” is a sign of weakness, but in this case, it's OK to say “I'm sorry—I need to respectfully decline.” You may still feel guilty, but that's natural if you’re in the early stages of breaking out of the people-pleasing mantra you’ve been stuck in for years.

These two little words fulfill my desire to be a polite, professional human being, while still getting the message out that I don’t have the bandwidth to accommodate another request.

Want more on this topic? I recommend “When You Say Yes But Mean No: How Silencing Conflict Wrecks Relationships and Companies... and What You Can Do About It” by Leslie Perlow.

Brandie Hinen is CEO of Powerhouse Learning.