Types of Healthy Boundaries
We have talked about The Benefits of Setting Boundaries, but what type of limitationss should you make? There are many types of boundaries that you can create to sustain a positive mental space and keep what you deem necessary in your life. No matter if it is with work, a relative, or a friend, once you identify a negative aspect in your life, decide which one of these types of boundaries you need.
Mental Boundaries
Let’s work on no letting someone’s thoughts cloud our own. Mental Boundaries are the ability to hear someone’s opposing viewpoint, or decision, while not feeling afflicted because you do not agree. Mental boundaries are also created when you are able to not feel guilty when saying “No” to a request or offer. How you can acquire this boundary is by finding confidence in your decision making and trusting in your intuition. This definitely will take practice, but take the time to celebrate when you are able to do so. A win is a win.
Physical Boundaries
This boundary is quite common, but can be just as hard. Setting a physical boundary means that you are creating physical distance between you and whatever negatively affects. This can be created by little things such as: not checking your email outside of work hours, putting your phone on airplane mode when you need some alone time or a break from social media. Physical boundaries also can look like not seeing certain friends because their vibe doesn’t match yours or avoiding certain places because they’ve shown to not bring you good memories. Think about the what or who you need distance from.
Financial Boundaries
Money may bring you happiness, but, as we all know, it can also take away from our happiness. Financial Boundaries are exactly what you may think, setting spending limitations from how you spend to how much you spend to help you sustain internal and financial joy. This can mean searching out a financial advisor to help achieve your goals – achieving goals also increases internal happiness, or this can mean simple self-reflection and seeing what is most beneficial to put your hard earned money towards. No matter what boundaries you create, be sure to not treat it as a diet, but as a lifestyle that you happily live with.
Time Boundaries
You know that feeling you get when you know it’s time to leave an event? That’s your intuition defining a time boundary. Time boundaries are definitive amount of time you give a person or activity to limit or decrease the excessive usage of personal time. When something takes up too much of your time, it will then take up too much of your energy decreasing the amount you can put towards other people and experiences you enjoy. To set boundaries you can create time-frames, physical alarms, or base your time limit on your intuition. No matter how you set this boundary, if you feel drained it has probably taken up too much of your time.
Intellectual Boundaries
This boundary has little to do with education, but a lot to do with understanding and empathy. Intellectual boundaries are to help create or maintain healthy relationships by knowing when to not discuss certain topics that may belittle or degrade someone. This boundary can also be created if someone has crossed a line conversationally leading you to change the subject or stop the conversation to sustain a positive environment. That joke you may want to say, or that offensive comment you hear, you can practice intellectual boundaries and put a halt to the negative energy that may be created.
What boundaries do you need to create?
It’s good to understand that boundaries can be created and taken away. Create the boundaries you need and when they no longer serve you, feel free to let them go or replace them with a new necessary one. Listen to your intuition, hear what you need, and act on what brings you joy.