Healthy relationships start by setting boundaries in your relationships. Whether you are interacting with coworkers or communicating in a love relationship, you need to establish basic guidelines for yourself. Even if you aren’t consciously setting personal boundaries, you probably know how it feels when someone else crosses your boundary. For example, the time you stayed late at work because of pressure from your boss. Or when you missed a social event that you were planning to attend because a neighbor was asking for last-minute childcare. When other people cross your personal limits, it often results in feelings that you are let down, disappointed, or hurt. If you don’t understand how boundaries work, it can be hard to understand where these emotions originate. What are Boundaries? Boundaries are rules or limits that we create, showing other people how to behave toward us. These guidelines are often unspoken ways we interact with others based on a mix of opinions, attitudes, beliefs, and past experiences. On the other hand, we can proactively set healthy boundaries when someone surpasses appropriate behaviors. This process isn’t about controlling what other people are doing. Instead, boundaries manage how we respond when someone oversteps. Your response is the…
