Power in Setting Healthy Boundaries
The term “boundaries” is often used in therapeutic settings but has become much more common in everyday language over the years. It is a term that is now often the center of self-care. Setting boundaries doesn’t just mean cutting someone negative off, it means prioritizing your own emotional and mental needs in a relationship dynamic that can often be seen as draining or overwhelming.
Setting healthy boundaries can be viewed as creating space from someone, but the importance and power of setting boundaries goes beyond that. Without setting healthy boundaries, you may find yourself in a codependent or even toxic relationship. Boundaries are beneficial in romantic relationships, familial relationships, friendships, and even workplace relationships.
Different Types of Boundaries:
Physical: Creating safety for your space, body, and physical needs. This can involve how you do or don’t want to be touched, how you interact with others, and the environment you surround yourself with.
Emotional: Creating safety for your emotional well-being. This can involve protecting your own feelings and emotions, not people pleasing, having your own thoughts, and not feeling responsible for the emotions of others.
Sexual: Creating safety in a sexual environment. This involves consent and open communication about you and/or your partner’s comfort levels.
Financial: Creating safety for your own finances and financial resources. This can involve how you make your money, how you spend it, and your right to not give or loan money elsewhere if it isn’t right for you.
Spiritual: Creating safety for what you choose to believe in and what serves as guidance for you. This involves being comfortable in your own beliefs and not allowing the judgements or opinions of others to influence these beliefs.
Time: Creating safety for how you choose to spend your time. This can involve what you chose to do, when you chose to do it, and with who you choose to do it with. This can be both personal and professional, with an emphasis on not being overworked in your profession and not always feeling obligated to spend time with those in your personal life.
Normalize Saying “No”
There is often a negative connotation to saying “no.” When it comes to setting healthy boundaries, it is time to challenge this negative connotation and normalize the idea of not always pleasing others.
Saying “no” can allow you to create