Setting Boundaries

Mar 11

Do you have trouble saying no? Struggling in balancing your own needs with the needs or wants or others? Do other people’s agendas often take precedence over your own? Are you finding yourself pleasing and accommodating others at a cost of your own time/wants/resources on a regular basis? Are you getting what you want out of your relationships with your friends, family members, partners and supervisors?

Personal boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that one creates to identify and maintain reasonable, safe and permissible ways for other people to behave towards them as well as how they respond upon somebody crossing or passing those limits. Boundaries protect us because they represent a clear line of what is ok with us and what is not. A lack of boundaries allows for others to take on a more aggressive approach in determining our thoughts, feelings, needs and decisions, which can lead to emotional pain, dependency, anxiety, depression, grief, stress and many other undesirable consequences. Setting healthy personal boundaries is crucial in developing and maintaining healthy relationships with others as well as increasing your sense of self-worth, self-esteem, confidence and independence. Good boundaries also help us reduce stress, anxiety and other negative emotions, eliminate unwanted interactions, express our needs and desires clearly and put our identity, beliefs and values first.