5 Benefits of Setting Boundaries
When some people hear the word boundary, they often think of setting a wall between them and other people. However, it’s actually far from the truth. Creating personal boundaries is more focused on coming up with a guideline or a limit on how far things should go.
But since it seems less complicated to just say yes and extremely hard to say no, we often just go with the flow. People tend to compromise, especially when they want to please others or sustain smooth relationships. However, it’s hard to keep doing that for life. Setting and respecting boundaries are imperative to living a healthy, happy life.
In this blog post, we will reveal the top benefits of establishing healthy boundaries for your personal life. In addition, tips on how you can create them.
Different Types of Boundaries
Boundaries aren’t the same for everyone. They can vary from one person to another, depending on preferences and situations. But below are the different types you should know about:
- Finances
- Personal space
- Privacy
- Possessions
- Feelings
- Time and energy
- Intimacy and sexuality
- Religion
- Career
What are the Advantages of Setting Boundaries?
It can be difficult to hold on to your decisions, especially if they can affect other people you love. But setting healthy boundaries comes with plenty of benefits, including the following:
1. Protect Your Wellbeing
When you set boundaries, you don’t have to worry about doing something that you’re uncomfortable doing. You won’t be pressured and stressed about responsibilities that are not yours. As a result, it will be better for your emotional and mental health and overall well-being.
2. Protect Your Safety
Clear boundaries about how far people should touch you or get close to you. Plus, avoid being in uncomfortable situations. For instance, you should set healthy boundaries on what kind of physical contact between you and your friends, family members, or date. Aside from that, you have to set a limit on who can come to your house, how you will manage your physical possessions and more. So, it’s best to safeguard your comfort.
3. Avoid Feeling too Guilty About Refusing Other People.
It can be hard to refuse others, especially those who are close to you. At the same time, it’s also exhausting to say yes all the time, knowing you don’t really want to do it. By setting your boundaries, you’ll know when to agree and not agree to requests from other people. The guilt might still be there, but it won’t be as much as when you don’t have your own boundaries. You will not worry about not being able to maintain healthy relationships if you know that the limitations you have set are fair.
4. Protect Your Time
For sure, you have a lot of responsibilities to take care of. For this reason, it’s essential to set boundaries and know your priorities. You can’t always agree with what everyone will say; You need to protect your time to ensure you finish all your tasks, spend time for self-care, and do what will make you happy.
5. Develop Independence
With good boundaries, you can develop your independence. You can still maintain a good relationship with other people without neglecting your own needs. If you become strict with your boundaries, you can be more confident, feel stronger, and have better control over your life.
Tips on Setting Healthy Boundaries
Saying that you want to set boundaries might be easy to say, but it’s not easy to do. Everyone can have different rules. So, to help you create your own rules, below are some tips:
● Analyze Your Existing Boundaries and Improve them
Are your current boundaries not good enough? Is there something they lack that you need to improve? If yes, work on them. Analyze your existing limits, including what’s working fine and not. Then, improve the areas where you still feel discomfort.
● Consider How You Feel
It’s good to be sensitive about how other people feel. But you should also be sensitive about your own emotions. Therefore, if you feel sad, disappointed, or taken advantage of, think about the best thing to do to help bring yourself into a happier and more comfortable situation.
● Say No to What You Don’t Like
There are instances where it’s hard to say no to someone. Still, in the end, it will still be your choice to make. So, keep in mind that you don’t have to say yes to what you don’t like. You can always decline a favor, offer, and other requests from people. If you don’t, you might regret it and face the consequences later.
● Don’t Assume that Others will Understand How You Feel.
Yes, some people might know you well, especially those you are close to. However, they won’t understand how you feel all the time. Thus, it’s best to assume that they don’t know how you feel and let them know if they’re doing something that makes you uncomfortable.