How to Say No to a Friend Who Wants to Hang Out

You had a long day at work and you are looking forward to getting home and having some much needed down time and out of the blue your phone rings and it's your best friend and in an excited voice he says "Hey, lets hang out tonight". But right now the last time you want to is go hang out. How do you handle this? Do you accept his invitation because you feel obligated, do you lie and make up some other obligations or do you say no and feel guilty? The important thing to remember is that just because they are your friends, it does not mean you have to let them monopolize your time. It is important to have some alone time to unwind every now and then and hopefully this article will help you get that much needed down time without any of the guilt

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Be honest and tell him that you just do not feel up to going out tonight
   
   "I would love to hang out but I am tired right now so tonight is just not a good night"

2. offer to take a "rain cheque"! Suggest another night when you can hang out. This way your friend knows you are not rejecting him.
   
   "How about Saturday? Will Saturday work for you?"

3. If your friend is having a hard time accepting no for an answer, reiterate that you cannot hang out tonight, but I would love to hang out some other time.

4. If he still insists tell him that you need to get off the phone and hang up
   
   "I need to get off the phone now, I will talk to you later. Goodbye!"

Tips & Warnings

• If your friend just refuses to take no for an answer or does not appear to understand your own needs then it's time to re-evaluate your friendship
• Sure it may seem easy to lie and say you have other plans but this can backfire later and your friend might be very offended that you feel you need to lie to him