Setting healthy boundaries is very important to maintain the sanity and health of a relationship. Besides setting boundaries, we should also ensure to communicate the significance of those boundaries to people who surround us. When we are faced with triggers, setting healthy boundaries can help us to address the emotions and react in a safe manner. “Triggers are like sneaky emotional catalysts that come from past experiences, and they can stir quite a storm! Establishing boundaries can be a fantastic shield for your emotional health. When you notice a trigger, it’s important to first recognize that you’re feeling triggered. This highlights a need for a boundary. Boundaries will look different for everyone,” wrote Therapist Carolyn Rubenstein.
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Triggers and potential boundary needs:
Disrespect: We should communicate the importance of maintaining respect in communication. We should also try to clarify the words that felt hurtful to us. This will help the other person to understand the boundaries they need to maintain.
Personal and intrusive questions: We should politely try to communicate the discomfort we feel when we are bombarded with personal questions. Setting a limit to the personal questions they can ask or intrude on in our personal lives can help us to maintain our emotional health.
Expectations: Often the burden of expectations of others can make us feel overwhelmed. In such cases, we should communicate the abilities and limitations we have. Setting realistic expectations is very important.
Invading private space: When someone tries to invade our private space, we should make sure to communicate that they are making us uncomfortable.
Disrupting schedule: When others constantly keep being late and disrupt our schedule, we should set clear expectations regarding punctuality.
Too many responsibilities: We need to learn to say no to things we do not agree with. Being overwhelmed with too many responsibilities can affect our mental, emotional and physical health
