HEALTHY BOUNDARIES


5 Boundaries You Need To Enforce In Your Life 

Just as landed properties or physical spaces having an owner or occupant have boundaries like fences, gates, walls and doors, so our personal lives should have certain personal boundaries.

These boundaries are not hostile mechanisms to cut people off but rather necessary systems for mutual protection and sustainable relations.

Even with friends and family who mean well, there are certain important limits that we need to enforce to avoid personal overwhelm or relational stress. 

Here are five of them:


1. Personal Time

Time is our most valuable currency. 

You should make out time for yourself to do things that are important to you like reading, recharging, personal devotion, workout, or even just getting your domestic tasks and personal chores done. 

People who truly care about you will understand the importance of protecting your personal time—and if they don’t, that might be a red flag all on its own.

2. Personal Finances

Mixing money with personal relationships can often breed some resentment and power imbalances.

There’s a marked difference between occasional support from the more privileged persons and a damaging sense of financial obligation to one’s friends, siblings, extended family and relatives.

3. Emotional Space

Beware of that friend who constantly vents to you about every single crisis in their life, but when you need to talk to someone, they ghost you or they feign sudden busyness or sudden challenges.

Emotional boundaries help shield you from being someone else’s emotional dumping ground.

4. Personal Space 

Be wary of that supposedly well-meaning friend or relative who shows up unannounced at your place or who does not think twice about rummaging through your wardrobe and personal effects. 

5. Off-limits Topics

There are sensitive topics that people who are sensible, emotionally intelligent and respectful of others should check themselves before prying into, such as your love life, income, or plans for kids.

Closing Remarks 

To reiterate, boundaries are never about pushing people away or making people uneasy around us. 

They are about allowing the right interactions in a way that respects your health and happiness. 

Without healthy boundaries, your personal life, work, and overall sense of self can get swallowed up by everyone else’s wants and needs.

Conversely, with proper boundaries in place, your relationships do become healthier and happier.

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