How To Set Healthy Boundaries

Setting boundaries is a liberating experience that will stop you from people-pleasing and saying yes to things that drain you. Here are a few simple steps to help you set some healthy boundaries!

Name Your Boundaries

First thing to do when setting boundaries is to name them and make them seem like a real thing rather than just a thought. You can't physically see a boundary, therefore writing them down can also be helpful in making them concrete. Work out where the line is between what you want and what you don't want. Reflect and ask yourself, what is causing me stress? What am I looking forward to and what am I dreading?

Set Them Early

Setting boundaries in pre-existing relationships is very hard. Therefore, letting the other person know what you want and don't want early on in the relationship is the best way forward. By doing this, everyone then knows where they stand and can build the relationship on a solid foundation. This makes everything easier and lessens the chances of someone getting hurt or frustrated.

Communicate Your Boundaries

This doesn't mean telling your friends the list of things you don't want to do! Communicating your boundaries is all about saying what needs to be said. Saying 'no' is a simple and firm way of saying you don't want to do something, so don't be afraid of saying it. One thing to always remember is that you don't have to explain yourself. Everyone has a right not to do the things they don't want to do.

By Pia Louisa