Healthy boundaries allow us to preserve our individualism while sharing our lives with others. Maintaining healthy boundaries is crucial to our sense of well-being.
The health and strength of our boundaries are vital in allowing for easy flowing and healthy relationships with those in our lives, and pleasant experiences with the people we run into as we go about our days.
This article is based on my books. They all focus on some aspect of “Our Journeys to Peace.”
Links to About Books is here
When reasonable and healthy boundaries are being respected, there are no blurred lines between what is comfortable for us – physically and emotionally – and what is not.
When around others, we either feel normal, comfortable, and safe. Or we do not. We don’t engage with people who criticize us. Suffocate us. Emotionally bombard us. Nor do we allow others to take advantage of us.
Healthy boundaries set the groundwork for feeling comfortable around others and having satisfying give-and-take relationships.
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With unhealthy boundaries, we are often frustrated and disappointed in our communications with others, as well as in our relationships in general.
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Unhealthy boundaries are either too closed or too wide open.
People with healthy boundaries are confident and well-balanced. They know themselves. And who or what they can deal with – without negative repercussions.
Healthy boundaries act as sort of a protection mechanism, although confident and well-balanced people don’t really need protection. Their confidence and sense of self guide them to make good choices.
We All Handle Life and Stress Differently
We all have different energy levels, emotional strengths, abilities to handle change and stress, tendency and capacity to give, and response levels to those in need – emotionally or physically. For many of us, much of this has recently been taxed. I think we all feel the need for a nice long vacation.?
At the same time, there is way more need around us than ever before. We have all been thrown for a loop, and we have all reacted in different ways.
Some of us have been greatly affected, while others of us have taken it all more in stride. And some of us have even appreciated the extra quiet time.
If we have been affected, we must ensure we remain healthy and emotionally balanced – even if that means reigning in activities or commitments to others.
For those of us who have managed it all more easily, we may have been able to help others get through this past year. Being of service and helping others can feel wonderful and be very fulfilling.
For others of us, we have needed all of our strength to look after only our self, as it has been a daily struggle to just stay afloat.
And some of us have needed lots of help to get through it all. Thank goodness for the many angels on earth who had the extra energy to give and came to our rescue. ?
This pandemic has caused many of us to have to adjust our boundaries. Some of us have widened our boundaries to extend to others, while others of us have had to close our boundaries to keep our energy intact and remain emotionally stable. And it’s all good!
Those of us who have extended ourselves to others this year must ensure that we are keeping our energy up, our emotions even, and our stress level down. We must adjust our output – if necessary – and with no guilt.
Being Open and Giving Is a Spiritual Tenet; So Is Looking After Our Self
If we tend to be open and giving, the thought of having to retreat in any way or close our boundaries to maintain our emotional or physical health may seem selfish – especially for those of us who see life through love’s eyes and who are givers.
Only the very holy, like Gandhi and Mother Teresa, can give, give and give, without mental or physical repercussions. These days, even the most spiritual of us may have had to reel it in to keep or regain our footing – at least from time to time.
Although we may regularly partake in spiritual practices, even the strongest and most loving among us can become deflated, overly-stressed, or even ill.
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Recognizing when we need to nurture ourselves – and doing so – to ensure we remain emotionally and physically healthy is part of being a spiritual person.
We do all want to come out of this as unscathed as possible!
We help or reach out to others when we can, but we also adjust when necessary. And once we become more energized and balanced again, we can once more reach out to others full of love, light, and vibrant energy.
See here for Part 2, where I discuss the differences between healthy and unhealthy boundaries – and their advantages and disadvantages.
After that in Part 3, I will explain how to create healthier boundaries, and share my companion post: Worksheet: Creating Healthy Boundaries, which can help you pinpoint where and how you can improve your boundaries. My worksheets are all from my books.
Info to stay updated on my future posts, new book releases, and Workshops I may hold is below.
With blessings that you stay safe, happy, and energized. Rosemary❤️
Rosemary McCarthy© January 29, 2021.
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See here for my Blog Page – with various articles related to our personal, collective, and cosmic journeys to peace.
My writing all focuses on some aspect of “Our Journey to Peace.” Here are my published and upcoming books.
See here for About Book 1 of my new series, “Why We Are the Way We Are” – (Book 2 in the series, due out late Spring 2021, focuses specifically on how to make shifts away from the negative and/or what is not working for us – to the positive and what will bring us more peace, happens, and harmony in our relationships. I will also be holding online Workshops later this Spring to help you make those shifts).
here for About my 1st book, Your Journey to Peace, Bridging the Gap Between Religion, Spirituality, Psychology, and Science.”
Upcoming Books (Sign up here for my newsletter to stay updated on the release dates of my upcoming books noted below, as well as their associated online Workshops.
here for About Book 2, Overcoming Our Unconscious Influences, like Anger, Hurt Feelings, Frustrations, Control, Blaming Others for Our Unhappiness. Working title. Due out Spring 2021. (Online Workshop based on this book will be scheduled for later this Spring)
here for About Book 3, Relationships in an Evolving World. Working title. Due out Summer 2021.
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Copyright© Rosemary McCarthy January 29, 2021. All rights Reserved. To copy, share, or distribute this article simply ensure the content is copied in its entirety, is unaltered, and is distributed freely and for no monetary or personal gain, and that this copyright notice and the link for the article and the website www.spiritedfawnpublications.com are included. You can contact me at: rosemary@yourjourneytopeace.com. Blessings, and thank you kindly, Rosemary❤️