How To Set Boundaries Without Feeling Guilty Or Rude

No one will set boundaries for you, but most people will respect them when you set them for yourself.

One of the best ways to set boundaries and still be perceived as someone who gets sh*t done is to phrase things using positive language instead of negative language.

Tell people what you can do, not what you can’t.

Here are some examples:

• Instead of saying: “You won’t be able to reach me between 5pm and 8am.” you can say “I’m available to you anytime between 8am and 5pm.”
• Instead of saying “I don’t check email on the weekend.” you can say “I’m very responsive to email during normal business hours.”

While I’ve found that using positive language to set boundaries always always works better than negative language, there are a couple of factors you may want to consider before diving, head first, into boundary setting.

• Your work culture

There are some work cultures where the expectation is truly that you are available all day, every day. And if you try to set any boundaries, it will negatively impact your success at that company. You know the truth of your culture at work better than I do and you should act accordingly.

• Your perceived identity

If you are part of (or perceived as part of) a marginalized or non-dominant group, there may be greater repercussions for setting boundaries or pushing back at work. It’s important to assess and understand the risks inherent to your specific situation.

Read the complete article available at Thrive Global!

Reflection:

Do you struggle with setting boundaries?

#Boundaries #Guilt #Communication #MentalHealth

If you liked this article, you might also like, "Building Boundaries"

Also check out, "6 Ways to Set Boundaries Without Guilt"

You might want to go through, "5 Steps to Creating and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries"