Healthy Boundaries YOU Should Set for YOUR Life!

Relationships are an important part of life, and it is very important to be able to set boundaries in a healthy way, whether it is with partners, parents, or friends. What are boundaries for? They are there to protect one's physical and mental well-being, boundaries indicate in a relationship what you want and don't want.

They also help preserve our mental energy, boost self-esteem, and give us room for personal growth and protect us from being too vulnerable. Clear boundaries keep you feeling safe, validated, and respected, and they help maintain a healthy and strong relationship. In this article, we'll show you five boundaries you should definitely set in your life.

1. Physical boundaries

Among the most important boundaries to implement in your life are physical boundaries to delineate your personal space and point out what you're not comfortable with. Physical boundaries are so important because they establish basic rules in interpersonal interactions. By setting boundaries, you provide a respectful way of dealing with how you want to be treated.

When you hear the term physical boundary, you might think of physical touch or love? But the term physical also applies to less obvious scenarios. Physical boundaries go beyond your physical body; they also represent your privacy and a personal space. Maybe you're just an introvert who needs time and space to yourself before connecting with others. In that case, the best thing you can do is say, "I'd like 15 minutes to myself before guests arrive.

If you invite them early, I'd like you to take care of them until I'm ready to join them." What most people struggle with is actually saying this request. Of course, it can be uncomfortable to voice these feelings, especially if you are used to keeping them to yourself, but it is important to voice them in order to find security, safety, and understanding for yourself and those around you. At the end of the day, a no, is a no.

2. Emotional boundaries

Emotional boundaries are also among the most important boundaries you must learn to set. This type of boundary makes it necessary for you to separate your feelings from those around you. We often find ourselves holding back energies from others while internalizing their personal values and end up feeling stressed.

According to clinical director and licensed professional counselor Stefanie Carmens, emotional boundary violations include taking responsibility for others' feelings, letting others' feelings determine your own, sacrificing your own desires to please others, blaming others for your own problems, and accepting responsibility for theirs. So how can you set some healthy boundaries to get a healthier way of thinking?

The first step is to delineate stable emotional boundaries to understand where your limitations are, what you are and are not responsible for in your life. Remember that you are only responsible for your behavior, choices, feelings and happiness. You are not responsible for other people's behavior and choices.

Reminding yourself of your own personal priorities allows you more power and control when your feelings and thoughts overwhelm you. When you value yourself and put yourself first, you can truly make room for personal growth and begin to become more authentic.

3. Time limits.

You know that feeling of biting off more than you can chew? We all overextend ourselves sometimes, and that's also a violation of our own boundaries. Good time management is a good key to strengthening your boundaries in this area.

Think about your important tasks, priorities, and goals, and don't be afraid to say no when you need to without feeling guilty about it. Create a healthy schedule for yourself with necessary time limits so that you can attend to every important relationship, activity and event in your life equally.

4. Mental boundaries

Intellectual boundaries are perhaps a more unfamiliar type of boundary, but they are still very beneficial. Intellectual boundaries give clues to thoughts, ideas, beliefs, attitudes, viewpoints, and perspectives. It is important to have an appropriate awareness of healthy intellectual boundaries for discussion.

For example, acknowledge that there are times to talk about the weather and other times for something heavy like political issues and that others' viewpoints and opinions are just as important on a topic. Keeping these types of boundaries in mind, you are open to different points of view and should try to step out of your comfort zone and challenge your own opinions and ideas while promoting your own education and personal beliefs.

Intellectual boundaries are important for intellectual growth and allow us, as a society, to learn from each other in an informative way by practicing an open way of thinking in an enlightened manner.

5. Material boundaries

Last but not least, you need to set material boundaries. Material boundaries include all possessions, finances included, where you limit what to share, for how long, and with whom. Material boundaries are important because they allow you to take care of what belongs to you.

Now, if you find yourself in a situation where someone needs something, check to see if you fully trust them. Bonus points go to those who would do the same for you, as is usually the case in reciprocal relationships. Weigh what you can more easily afford to share against concerns that are more important to you.

For example, it is easier to lend someone five dollars than a larger sum of money. Be wise in your choices when setting material limits. Sharing is caring, but it only works if you're smart about it.

Today’s Conclusion:

We hope you can gain valuable ideas from our tips, even if setting boundaries feels uncomfortable at first, it can help you feel safe and secure in your relationships. An important key in this learning process is communication - learning to enforce your own boundaries takes patience, practice and support.

Make sure you surround yourself with people who care about you equally and respect that you care about yourself first in your life. Setting boundaries and drawing clear lines, after all, gives you more freedom to have all kinds of learning experiences for personal growth. Pay attention to your values, priorities and responsibilities and stand by them. Good luck on your journey. That's it for today.