Can you actually refuse overtime at work?

Hey everyone,

I work in a hotel and just finished my training period. Ideally, I don’t want to stay past my scheduled finish time at all. Is there a proper way to say no to overtime? Am I actually required to do it?

And if I can refuse, what’s the best way to explain it to my manager so they’ll be okay with it?

Every single day, my only priority when I clock out is to get home and into bed as fast as possible because I have to wake up ridiculously early the next morning. On top of that, I’ve been diagnosed with depression, so I really don’t think I have the capacity right now to push my body to the limit. I don’t even want to imagine staying one or two extra hours as it would seriously hurt both my physical and mental health.

Any advice would be appreciated!