The Power of Boundaries
“Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.”
One of the most important skills we can learn as we grow up is to effectively create and maintain boundaries. After all, boundaries not only keep us safe, but they also assist us in meeting our own needs. Boundaries also help us create healthy relationships.
If you feel underappreciated, it is time to review your own boundaries. Rather than looking at how others around you are not meeting your expectations or not respecting your boundaries, I encourage you to think about what boundaries you are not setting for yourself. This slight pivot with how you look at the situation puts you back in your power and allows you to move forward with greater ownership of your experiences.
If you feel taken advantage of, it is often a red flag that you may not be appropriately setting or firmly holding your own boundaries. If this is the case, I recommend taking the time to reflect on what is getting in the way of setting healthy limits with others, as well as, making the necessary adjustments needed to successfully hold effective boundaries moving forward.
Additionally, if another person is unhappy when you hold consistent boundaries and struggle to abide by them, I recommend reevaluating the relationship, as it sounds that this person may lack respect for you and your needs. Holding healthy boundaries and prioritizing your needs is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself.