Maintaining and Setting Boundaries for Wellbeing

RESOURCES

Maintaining and Setting Boundaries for Wellbeing

Welcome to starling's resource tool dedicated to helping you create and sustain healthy boundaries for your wellbeing.

Establishing clear boundaries is essential for maintaining a balanced and fulfilling life, both personally and professionally.

Setting and maintaining boundaries allows you to protect your energy and prioritise yourself
Our resource offers practical strategies, self-assessment quizzes plus actionable tips to help you define, communicate, and uphold your boundaries effectively.

1. UNDERSTANDING BOUNDARIES

What are Boundaries

Boundaries are the limits we set in our relationships, helping us more clearly define what is acceptable and what is not.

Setting boundaries help us protect our physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

Boundaries are simple, clearly defined limits for our lives, providing the blueprint to support us when making decisions. They are a strong symbol of your self esteem and confidence, they are the guiding light when it comes to our choice points.

By setting effective boundaries you are less likely to take on other peoples problems and stress and are more able to prioritise your own wellbeing.

Types of Boundaries:

There is more than one type of boundary and they all play an active part in reducing the stress and anxiety in showing up what's important to you.

Physical Boundaries: These are the boundaries that are put in place around personal space, privacy, and physical touch.
Emotional Boundaries: These boundaries are to protect your feelings and emotional health.
Time Boundaries: These boundaries are for allocating time for work, rest, and personal activities.
Digital Boundaries: These boundaries support you to manage your online presence and digital interactions.
Financial Boundaries: These boundaries will support you to manage your financial responsibility and set limits on giving or lending
Self-care Boundaries: These are boundaries to empower you to prioritise activities that nurture your well being and not sacrificing them for others
Social Boundaries: These boundaries enable to you spend time connecting with interests and social groups that align with your values
Personal Values Boundaries: These boundaries empower you to stay true to your beliefs and not compromise your values for approval.

2. WHY BOUNDARIES MATTER

Setting and maintaining boundaries has numerous positive impacts on our lives, including reducing stress, lowering our anxiety and restoring balance. They fuel our health and simplify our lives.

When set and upheld boundaries can:

Enhance Wellbeing: Clear boundaries help reduce stress and increase satisfaction in relationships.
Promote Autonomy: Boundaries encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own needs and feelings.
Facilitate Healthy Relationships: Boundaries create clear guidelines as to what is and what is not acceptable and can be called out when breached.
Establish mutual respect and understanding in personal and professional interactions. Boundaries help everyone understand what is and what is not appropriate.

3. SELF-ASSESSMENT QUIZ BOUNDARY AWARENESS QUIZ

Answer the following questions to assess your current boundary practices:

Do you often feel overwhelmed or taken advantage of by others?
Are you comfortable saying "no" when necessary?
Do you prioritize your needs and feelings in relationships?
How often do you communicate your limits to others?
Do you feel guilty when establishing boundaries?

Scoring:

Mostly A's: You may need to work on setting and communicating your boundaries.

Mostly B's: You have a good understanding of your boundaries but can improve in some areas.

Mostly C's: You are confident in your boundaries and communicate them effectively.

4. PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR SETTING AND MAINTAINING BOUNDARIES

Setting and upholding your boundaries can be difficult, particularly if they are not serving the needs of others. Take the time to work through the boundaries you need and want to set.

Remember boundaries need to be strong enough to support you to live life on your terms and flexible enough to allow you to grow and embrace new opportunities.

Establishing both personal and workplace boundaries are important. Setting boundaries in both ensure respectful relationships and will reduce conflict. In the workplace it will help you to avoid overwhelm and unnecessary stress.

Reflect on Your Needs: Take time to identify your needs and values to understand what boundaries are essential for you.
Define what's most important: When it's important we make it a priority
Communicate Clearly: Use "I" statements to express your boundaries. For example, "I need some time alone to recharge."
Be Consistent: Uphold your boundaries consistently. This reinforces their importance to you and others.
Get to know and articulate your values: All of your decision making should be aligned to your values (see our guide to knowing and embracing your values)
Reset your focus: Take time to reset, refuel and restart
Practice Self-Care: Prioritize activities that nurture your wellbeing and reinforce your boundaries
Seek Support: Engage with a coach or therapist if you find it challenging to establish or maintain boundaries.

5. TIPS FOR SUSTAINING BOUNDARIES

Now that you have identified your boundaries and have communicated them clearly, the hard work begins. As we all live in the real world, we will be challenged on our boundaries both in and out of work. To set yourself up for ongoing success follow the tips below:

Regular Check-Ins: Periodically assess your boundaries to see if they still serve your needs. Your life circumstances may have changed.
Adjust as Needed: It's important to be flexible and willing to modify your boundaries as your circumstances change.
Learn to Let Go of Guilt: Understand that setting boundaries is a healthy practice that benefits both you and those around you.
Surround Yourself with Supportive People: Take stock of those you surround yourself with. Engage with individuals who respect and support your boundaries.
Prioritise self-care: Take care of yourself so that you can continue to reinforce your boundaries
Practice active listening: listen actively to others responses

Establishing and maintaining boundaries is a continuous journey that significantly positively impacts your wellbeing.

At starling we are here to support you in this process. Explore our programs and coaching services tailored to help you develop and sustain your boundaries effectively.

Want to know more about maintaining and setting boundaries for wellbeing? Get in touch with us..

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