Establishing and maintaining personal boundaries is crucial for mental health. By clearly communicating your limits, you can reduce stress, prevent burnout, and build more respectful relationships.
Leading a busy life often leads to feelings of overwhelm. It’s normal to feel this from time to time. However, for some people this is a constant problem.
One way to reduce feelings of overwhelm and to feel more “balanced” in your life comes from the practice of setting boundaries for yourself.
Some individuals find it difficult to set boundaries and say no to people due to certain psychological, social, and cultural factors. These can include fear of being rejected, desire to please everyone around them, or low self-esteem, which can make them feel that their needs are less important than those of other people.
Unfortunately, failing to prioritise your own needs by setting boundaries can lead to more serious mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
In this guide, we’ll go through some steps you can follow to maintain healthy boundaries.
In order to set healthy boundaries, the first thing to do is develop a deeper understanding of what healthy limits mean for you. This can be done by taking the time to reflect on your mental, emotional, and physical needs. Doing so can help you identify triggers that make you feel uncomfortable, overwhelmed, or stressed.
Learning about these triggers can help you determine where to draw the line.
Being able to communicate effectively is important when it comes to setting healthy boundaries. Using clear and assertive language will make it unambiguous as to when you are saying yes and when you are saying no to something.
Always remember that when discussing your needs, use “I” statements to effectively and assertively express your feelings without sounding accusatory.
Due to today’s highly connected world, setting boundaries doesn’t only apply to other people. Since our technological devices can be major sources of stress, it’s important to have time when we disconnect ourselves from these devices.
This can be done by limiting your daily screen time for checking emails or social media accounts. It’s also helpful to create tech-free zones in your home, which are areas where the use of technological devices is not allowed. Freeing yourself from gadgets for a chunk of time during the day can help you feel more relaxed and mindful of your thoughts and feelings.
Unfortunately, not everyone will react positively once you start saying no and setting boundaries.
If you encounter resistance from other people aim to stand your ground and remain firm in your decisions. You are not responsible for how others react to your boundaries and you don’t need to do anything to make them feel better.
The people who care about you and have your best interests at heart will usually be supportive of your boundary-setting, especially when you explain why you are doing this.
Once you start setting boundaries and prioritising your needs, remain consistent in your actions and decisions. If you allow your boundaries to be crossed sometimes but not others, it can create confusion and make it harder for others to respect your limits.
Although it can be challenging to remain firm when protecting your boundaries, this is a crucial step that can have lasting positive effects on your mental well-being.
If you’re having a hard time establishing and maintaining your boundaries, consider seeking support from Sureway Health & Wellbeing’s professional therapists. They are trained in equipping you with helpful tools and strategies for handling difficult situations. Our therapists can also help you identify the factors that prevent you from setting boundaries.
Our therapists work via telehealth so you can be seen from any location in Australia. You can see a therapist in person from our clinic in Eltham, Victoria.
Sureway Health & Wellbeing also offer a suite of services for NDIS participants including Support Coordination, Recovery Coaching, School Leaver Employment Support, and psychology and counselling services.
