Imagine driving across a body of water with no protective rails. Picture an environment where strangers could enter your home without any barrier. Would you feel safe or protected? In the same manner, setting boundaries within your life is an essential part of self-care and the key to maintaining your balance and protecting your energy.
Although challenging at times, setting boundaries can change how others treat you and even provide you with more time to pursue your interests!
Setting Personal Boundaries
The society we live in is driven by instant gratification. We can send and receive messages in less than a minute. Although convenient, this opens the door for constant contact. Have you experienced your phone constantly buzzing with messages and notifications? Technology has made availability seem like an open door.
Could this limitless portal of communication be draining your energy? It’s important to set boundaries when it comes to communication via e-mail, text, or social media. It starts by cutting yourself off from your phone or tablet and focusing on your needs. By doing so, you aren’t bombarded by people believing they can always reach out to you.
Socially, setting limits when associating with others is important for preserving your energy. Do you sometimes feel like everyone comes to you with their problems? Are you always giving of yourself and resources in order to help others?
While admirable, these actions can be self-destructive and draining. Setting boundaries on what you will and won’t do for others is essential to your personal health.
The inability to say no can be an indication of low self-esteem and the need to gain approval from others to boost your self-worth.
Often, saying no can be a challenge. Especially if you are so accustomed to saying yes. However, constantly breaking your back for the satisfaction of others is counterproductive. Therefore, utilize the word no sometimes and take back your personal control.
The inability to say no is also an indication of low self-esteem and the need to gain approval from others to boost your self-worth.
Setting Boundaries in Your Relationships
For a relationship to thrive, those involved need to implement certain boundaries in order to hold onto their self-respect. One key component to setting limits is making it clear to your partner the type of behavior you accept. By doing so, you are setting the bar for ultimate respect.
Moreover, setting boundaries could be creating physical space between you and your partner. Sure, when you’re in a relationship you no doubt enjoy the company of your partner. However, if you don’t have separate interests and obligations, you may develop an unhealthy co-dependency. To combat this, make time for yourself within your relationship. Seek personal space at times when necessary. Create an identity separate to that of your partner. Remember your wants, aspirations, and dreams. By doing so, your relationship will thrive.
Setting Career Boundaries
Everyone wants to advance in their career and obtain a level of success. Often, we can get so accustomed to overworking ourselves, we fail to set proper work-life boundaries. Sure, attempting to secure your future is important. However, does it outweigh your happiness? Your sanity? When working for a company or even as an entrepreneur, it’s important to create an effective work-life balance.
Tell yourself daily that you will complete your work by a certain time and stick to it. This may take some sacrifice and focus during the day, but the relief that comes from productivity is valuable. Take time to walk away from your tasks and gain some fresh air. Plan fun outings throughout the week to break the monotony. It is possible, and essential to avoid overworking yourself.
Boundary setting is imperative for your mental and physical health. It is quite easy to fall victim to negative habits that could prove to be destructive. Setting limits involves a certain level of discipline and self-control. By doing so, your energy will be restored and invigorated!
What to do if setting boundaries is a problem for you…
If you struggle to set boundaries and feel you need to please other people regardless of your own needs, then take some time to reflect on why you have this need. One of the best ways to approach this is by journaling. Review the times that you have allowed yourself to give in to other people’s demands and how you felt at the time. The more you acknowledge these feelings, the greater your ability to deal with them and resolve them. Awareness is the first step in healing. Then consider other ways in which you could have dealt with each situation which will help you develop a strategy for dealing with future similar situations. Write down your future strategy so that you can refer to it whenever you feel your boundaries are being challenged. Celebrate every time you succeed in setting boundaries and you will create a new habit for life.
Jan Shaw – The Success Alchemist, is a Spiritual Empowerment and Intuitive Success Coach specializing in mindset and manifestation and can be found at www.thesuccessalchemist.net. She delivers intuitive guidance, spiritual and metaphysical teaching, plus practical life and business strategies, to support you in fulfilling your Soul Mission and Life Purpose and create unlimited success in life and business. Get your FREE copy of her Dream Achievers Success Kit or apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Success Strategy Session. Her book Empowered Manifestation is available on Amazon. Visit her YouTube Channel for more tips, tools, and training to help you become unstoppable. You can also visit her Facebook Page and join her Facebook Group, Breakthrough to Brilliance. Jan also hosts the Cosmic Creating Show – listen to the recordings here.
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