Boundaries are created when we feel like we need to protect ourselves within relationships. It is imperative that we create boundaries for every relationship in our life, not just romantic ones. There are multitudes of boundaries that you can create for yourself and the people around you, but we’ll discuss three types in this article.
The first boundary we will discuss is healthy boundaries. You’ll know that you have established healthy boundaries if you do the following:
- Value your own thoughts, beliefs, and opinions
- Keep your values uncompromised
- Stand your ground when saying no. You don’t always need a reason behind it.
- Share information appropriately
Creating healthy boundaries aids you in maintaining a positive self-concept and image and boosting your self-esteem.
The next boundary we will discuss is rigid boundaries. Your boundaries become rigid when you are:
- Not asking for help when you need it
- Detaching yourself
- Avoiding close relations and intimacy
- Avoiding rejection by distancing yourself
Rigid boundaries don’t require you to be vulnerable, which means that you detach and avoid in order to feel safe but that doesn’t help you make much room for growth.
The third boundary we will discuss is porous boundaries. Your boundaries are considered porous if you:
- Have a habit of over-sharing personal information
- Get overinvolved with the problems of other people
- Tolerate abuse or disrespect
- Over-share personal information
If you desire more security, confidence and the ability to stand up for yourself, then ensuring that your boundaries aren’t porous is a start.
Understanding why you need certain boundaries can aid you in deciding which ones are appropriate for you. Trusting your intuition and addressing boundary violations early will stop you from making healthy boundaries rigid, and rigid boundaries porous. If you need to, begin with very tight boundaries and loosen them as you become more comfortable. Establishing healthy personal boundaries is important and necessary because they dictate how you approach relationships with other people and yourself on emotional, spiritual, and physical levels.