4 Types of Boundaries and How Boundary Setting Leads to Improved Health
Boundaries are vital to preserve physical, emotional and mental well-being in our relationships and in our daily lives.
Boundaries are a reflection that you know, value and honor yourself, your limits, and your comfort levels. They highlight how we expect others to treat us. They demand that others treat us with respect.
Boundaries are a lifeline. They protect us. They give us the space to honor our own needs and limits.
Boundaries are the mechanism that draws a line between people who violate our limits. These people may be toxic individuals in your life or just individuals that do not realize they are overstepping your limits.
When you set a firm and clear boundary, you are explicitly stating what your need is. This means we must be internally aware of our own individual needs and then clearly articulate this need to another.
Ideally, the person respects your boundary, and this will help preserve your relationship and your own physical, mental and emotional well-being.
If someone repeatedly pushes back on your boundaries, this may be a time to re-assess your relationship with them and if it is a mutually beneficial and healthy dynamic.
Setting firm boundaries is uncomfortable and even quite difficult to set, at first. Like anything, they get easier with practice.
Once we start setting, and enforcing, boundaries with people that are causing us internal discomfort or distress, we see how empowering it is.
We learn our voice and our needs matter. Our worth matters.
We know our limits and we will not allow others to mistreat us.
A mindbodygreen article shares boundaries are something that happens when you can sense yourself, what you want, and what you need — and access your voice to speak up for yourself.
4 of the main types of boundaries are physical, emotional, mental and time.
Physical Boundaries | protect our personal space, touch and physical privacy
Emotional Boundaries | protect your energy and allow you to not be responsible for others energy or feelings
Mental Boundaries | protect your thoughts, values and opinions
Time Boundaries | protect your time commitments effectively
The intention of a boundary is not meant to change others.
A boundary is an expression of our inherent needs.
They are a healthy and a vital mechanism to protect our own mental, emotional and physical well-being. They are meant to protect and enhance relationships, not dismantle them.
Setting firm boundaries is an act of self-preservation. Some of the benefits of clear boundary setting |
Stronger self-respect and an increased internal belief that you value yourself
Prioritized sense of peace and the ability to filter what energy has access to you and that you are willing to absorb
Creates mutual respect and enhanced communication in relationships which fosters a sense of feeling safe, seen and understood
Alleviate resentment, burnout, stress, and anxiety by not regularly absorbing others problems or demands
Help effectively manage your time by not overcommitting to things that drain and deplete you
The more you practice setting boundaries to protect your peace, the more comfortable it becomes. Boundary setting leads to a more empowered sense of being and an enhanced understanding of your self-worth.
