Always saying yes can be a great big health no-no Overcommitted: Sarah Newey feels the pressure. Being a pushover is bad for your mind, body and career, warn health experts and business leaders, who question whether always being agreeable is the best for success. Research has revealed women are less likely than men to initiate salary negotiations, always saying yes can result in weight gain and unassertiveness can lead to over-scheduled calendars, mental clutter and elevated stress levels. In a 2012 State of the Nation Survey by the Australian Psychological Association, one in five Australians reported that their current stress was having a strong to very strong impact on their physical health. The same figure also applied to mental health. Sarah Newey, 27, a project co-ordinator from Cremorne, understands putting obligation before desire. "This week I found myself saying yes to meeting up with my ex-boyfriend's mum, not because I want, or even have time to, but because if I said no, the guilt and worry about disappointing her would play on my mind," she said. My trips home are a stopover to repack my bag and I often prioritise other people's requests over my own needs. The first thing sacrificed is boring chores, usually leaving me with a week's worth of dirty dishes in the sink on a Sunday night. Then it's study, regular exercise, future savings and personal development as I don't have any time to myself. Experts advise overcommitting won't always lead to new opportunities but to losing touch with our priorities and goals. Saying yes can be a way to plug up the emotional holes in our lives. We escape by ensuring we're too busy to think, and not having any 'me' time leaves us unable to make important life decisions," said Jacquie Wise, a counsellor and coach who teaches assertiveness at the Centre for Adult Education in Melbourne. Organisational psychologist Suzanne Loubris, from the Institute for Communication, Management and Leadership, blames the "culture of nice" for this phenomenon. As a child we're socialised to be amenable. Our parents seek to make us easier to manage. However, being nice or a yes person does not equip us with the tools and strategies needed to achieve our goals as an adult. We need to unlearn this behaviour and realise when we're saying no, it's not to the person, but to the task.