Boundaries 101: Drawing the Right Line
By Christine Raake
Boundaries are essential to maintaining a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle.
However, boundaries aren’t one-size-fits-all. Some boundaries that feel necessary in one area of life may not apply in another. Understanding how they may change across different contexts can help us to implement them more effectively.
Boundaries in Romantic Relationships
Maintaining mutual respect, individuality, and connection in romantic relationships may involve setting healthy boundaries such as:
- Maintaining personal interests, friendships, and autonomy
- Addressing conflict without name-calling, stonewalling, or manipulation
- Expressing comfort levels around physical intimacy and PDA
- Communicating needs for emotional support or personal space
Boundaries at Work
It’s easy to become carried away with professional responsibilities and obligations. However, professional boundaries are essential to preventing burnout and maintaining optimal work performance. This may involve:
- Saying no to tasks that exceed capacity
- Setting limits around working hours and availability
- Taking time off to heal when sick or injured
- Reporting instances of discrimination and harassment
Boundaries With Yourself
It’s also important to recognize the need for boundaries towards ourselves. Taking care of oneself and prioritizing time for self-care is essential in our busy lives for personal, physical, and mental wellbeing. This could look like:
- Scheduling downtime and leisure
- Prioritizing time for physical activity and exercise
- Getting enough sleep
- Taking time to eat and practice personal hygiene
Boundaries Online
Finally, our digital world can be overwhelming and demanding. To remain safe and mentally healthy while navigating online spaces, setting boundaries for yourself is essential. For instance, appropriate boundaries might be:
- Limiting daily screen time
- Keeping sensitive information private
- Limiting exposure to negative news or doomscrolling
- Setting specific times to check social media or messages
Setting boundaries is not about being unkind, lazy, or selfish. Boundaries communicate limits respectfully and help prevent burnout, resentment, and misunderstandings. If this is something you are struggling with, counselling is an excellent way to explore what works for you.
