Guilt

Your neighbor always asks for favors (“Can you feed my cat while I’m away? Lend me your Crock-Pot? Watch my kids?”), and even though you know the help is rarely reciprocated and drains your time, energy and money, you always oblige. “There are certain types of people, ‘takers,’ who will take and take,” observes Burn. “You feel guilty saying no because you want to be nice and it feels mean to say no, especially if being a giving person is a primary source of your self-esteem.”