Why setting boundaries is important to your well-being?

One of the key strategies for overcoming emotional exhaustion is to set healthy boundaries. A boundary according to the Cambridge dictionary is “the limit of what someone considers to be acceptable behaviour”.

Building healthy boundaries starts with having an awareness of what your limits are. How do you feel when someone you know breaches your time boundaries? Do you feel angry? Do you feel frustrated? Are you physically exhausted? or Do you feel a sense of guilt?

Setting healthy boundaries also means being aware of “disruptors” who breach or violate your boundaries. Disruptors are “people or things that prevent a system, process, or event, from continuing as usual or as expected”.

You may have a friend, as an example, who phones you in the middle of the night (whilst you are fast asleep) because they want to run some things by you. You may have a client who arrives consistently late to your meetings or doesn’t show up at all your sessions without any valid reason. You may have an acquaintance who expects you to drop your own plans to accompany them to a social event which they are interested in. The problem is that this acquaintance does not care about your own plans or needs or your personal schedule. If you give in to those acquaintances, who override your needs and push your limits, you may end up feeling helpless, disgruntled and resentful. This can negatively impact the relationship you have with them.

You have every right to set boundaries for your life as boundaries are fundamental to your emotional wellbeing. It is key for others to respect your limits. You owe it to yourself to look after yourself and raise the flag if individuals are disrespectful and dismissive of your personal needs.

Who are the “disruptors” in your life who breach your boundaries?. Why is it key for you to set healthy boundaries in life?