Mental Health ers tt a M
Set Healthy Boundaries Guilt Free!
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By Derran Heney Mental Health Professional Setting boundaries can be difficult, especially if you’re the type of person who prefers to keep the peace or go with the flow. Maybe you’re the type of person who said ‘Yes’ when you really wanted to say ‘No’! This way of navigating through life may have been a pattern from our formative years and whilst may have its advantage in some situations, people can take advantage of our good natures or lack of boundary setting and will behave accordingly. If this has been an ingrained pattern, you may feel very lost and not sure how to set boundaries or to take them back. It’s neither easy nor fun to be in a place where you feel you could be sacrificing what matters most to you in order to keep peaceful relations.
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Supernal Magazine
“Always be respectful and open to the possibility that others may not know how you feel.” Plus, setting limits on people who have already encroached on your parameters, can make it feel like you are having to take back something from them in order to advocate for yourself. The problem here is that we often consider the other person’s feelings and needs above our own. While it is important to consider others, we need to remember that our feelings and needs are also
“Setting boundaries can be difficult, especially if you’re the type of person who prefers to keep the peace or go with the flow.”
important, especially if boundaries are being overstepped. When we find ourselves under pressure to agree or feel disempowered in any interactions, it’s useful to bring the focus back to our own needs; what we want and how we feel. Reclaiming healthy boundaries: Be clear about your objective Do you want someone to listen, to understand you, to change their behaviour towards you, or do you want to change your approach? Considering what
