Safeguarding Week- Setting Healthy Boundaries

Setting healthy boundaries

It’s important to have healthy boundaries to make sure that others don’t take advantage of us, and we don’t neglect ourselves by doing too much for other people.

Think about what you need and want

Try to identify what you need from your friendships and relationships, how much alone time do you need? How do you prefer to spend time with people?

Think about if people would treat you like you treat them

Not all of the people in your life have to be someone you would do everything for. If someone wouldn’t dogsit for you, don’t feel like you have to babysit for them.

Don’t feel like you have to share everything

You don’t have to tell people things if you don’t feel comfortable. If someone asks you a personal question that you don’t want to answer, you can say “I don’t want to answer that.” Or change the subject.

Practice saying no to requests

Practice makes perfect. Practice in front of the mirror. “no I’m sorry, I can’t do that, I’m busy.” It doesn’t make you less friends with someone if you can’t do everything they ask.

Try to build your self-esteem

Doing things that make you feel good, such as exercise, learning new things, eating well, and getting enough sleep, will help you to feel better about yourself, and can help you improve your self esteem.

Get quality alone time

Try and spend quality time with yourself, doing something that you enjoy and makes you feel good about yourself will help you to appreciate yourself and stop seeing your value in what you do for other people.