5 Steps to Creating and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
"What Are Boundaries?
What Are Unhealthy Boundaries?
Unhealthy boundaries can sometimes feel like others are taking advantage of you or your time. If you find that you’re overextending yourself in your relationships, overcommitting your time to others, and having little time for yourself, it may signal a lack of boundaries.
How to Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries communicates what you are willing to say yes to and what you are likely to say no to. They give you power over your decisions, time, and emotions, rather than these being dictated by others.
1. Identify Your Limits
For some of us, we may not even know that a boundary has been crossed or a limit overstepped until after the fact. The first step to setting boundaries is to identify what your limits are. Some useful questions to ask yourself can be: Where am I overextending myself in my life? What areas of my life do I feel drained by? What commitments do I feel obligated to, yet exhaust me? What is causing me unnecessary stress discomfort, or dread?
2. Clearly Communicate Your Boundaries
Once you’ve gotten an understanding of some concrete and specific boundaries you’d like to set in your life, the next step to establishing healthy boundaries is to assertively communicate them to others.
3. Practice What You Want to Say
Practicing what you want to say and how to say it will increase your chances of successfully setting a boundary. Knowing how you want to communicate your needs and limits ahead of time (and again, in a way that feels authentic to you!) will make it more likely that you’ll be able to say it in the moment.
4. Avoid Over-Apologizing or Over-Explaining
In an effort to be polite and avoid seeming rude, some people can fall into a tendency to apologize profusely or over explain the reason why they’re setting a limit. But really, saying no doesn’t have to be rude, and it also doesn’t require an apology or explanation.
5. Be Consistent with Your Boundaries
What if someone does not respond positively to your assertiveness? When setting boundaries, it is important to stand your ground and be consistent with your original decision. Sticking to your initial response helps communicate to them that this is a boundary they can’t easily cross and encourages them to take your limits seriously. The firmer you are with your boundaries, the more likely your boundaries will be respected."
Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!
Reflection:
Are you able to put up healthy boundaries?
#Boundaries #Relationships #Communication #MentalHealth
@comfortableNight4463
Short answer? No. xD
Always a room for improvement here!
Boundaries have been a continual lesson and goal, on and off cups, for me, and I try hard to do my best at it.
I feel, it is harder and more important to be consistent with the boundaries and/ or manage/ enforce them than to simply "set" them, definitely not a one time phenomenon to say something like "this is my boundary, no crossing over" won't do much as with time the lines get blurry again, gotta keep on strengthening the "fencing" and be mindful about the same; in that essence, boundaries need to be consistently looked over and managed, for maximum impact.
These are great tips, Night, thanks for sharing.❤
