Setting healthy boundaries is vital to strengthening relationships. They’re also a crucial part of maintaining your identity, mental health, and physical well-being. Learning how to set and maintain boundaries can change many aspects of your life, ranging from work to family relations to dating. It all starts with understanding the difference between healthy and unhealthy boundaries. There are different types of healthy personal boundaries, including Physical, Sexual, Mental, Emotional, Material/Financial, Time, and spiritual boundaries Adjustments are made as circumstances change and relationships grow. Considering that boundaries aren't etched in stone, we would consider shifting the boundaries. Unhealthy boundaries involve a disregard for your own and others’ values, wants, needs, and limits. They can also lead to potentially abusive dating/romantic relationships and increase the chances of other types of abusive relationships as well. RIGID BOUNDARIES: keep other people at a distance, even loved ones. Maybe you refuse to talk about your emotions with your partner or rarely set aside time to meet with friends. Porous or weak boundaries: develop when you have a hard time saying “no” to others. You might be too willing to take on all the responsibilities of a relationship. Or maybe you tend to overshare when talking to strangers. What are the reasons why people may consistently struggle with unhealthy boundaries? It is due to the desire for control, fear of rejection, lack of experience with setting limitations, an overly agreeable personality, and low self-esteem Barriers to maintaining boundaries are enabling actions. "Enabling" is when you shield someone from the consequences of their actions. When someone you love is dealing with addiction: you may need to shift your boundaries to avoid enabling their behavior. Enabling isn’t limited to situations that involve addiction. It can happen in other mental health issues. How to set and maintain boundaries? The following tips can help you establish boundaries if you are experiencing trouble communicating or connecting with a person in your life Setting Boundaries Tip 1: Know what you want in a relationship. Setting Boundaries Tip 2: Talk to the person about your needs Setting Boundaries Tip 3: ENFORCE BOUNDARIES How to respond when someone else sets a boundary? You’re not the only one who can set boundaries. How do you feel when someone voices a restriction? Conclusions: A moment of reflection can help you decide whether you need to set limitations with the person in the future. By gaining a more thorough understanding of yourself, you can begin to imagine the types of boundaries you need. By learning to accept and acknowledge other people’s boundaries, you can start to think about how you can improve your connections with others. Ultimately, effective boundaries can leave you both feeling empowered and result in a healthier, more satisfying relationship.

1. BOUNDARIES

2. KEYPOINTS
• What is boundaries?
• Why is it important?
• Understanding the difference between healthy
and unhealthy boundaries?
• Shifting boundaries
• Boundaries and unhealthy behavior
• How to set and maintain boundaries?
• How to respond when someone else sets a
boundary?

3. WHAT IS BOUNDARIES?
• An invisible line that defines what behaviors
are acceptable for an individual
• It can be personal, physical, sexual, mental,
emotional, material/financial, time, and
spiritual boundaries.

4. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
It is an important ingredient in a healthy,
balanced relationships.
They’re also a crucial part of maintaining your
identity, mental health, and physical well-
being.

5. Healthyboundariesserveto:
1. Encourage autonomy and reduce codependent habits
2. Setting clear expectations for others
3. Containment (The action of keeping something harmful under control or
within limits.
4. Give you a sense of empowerment and self-respect.
5. Improve self-care abilities
6. Ensure your physical and emotional comfort
7. Clarify individual responsibilities in a relationship
8. Separate your wants, needs, thoughts, and feelings from those of others.

6. WITHOUT HEALTHY
BOUNDARIES?
Your relationship can be toxic and unsatisfying, and
you well-being can suffer.
You might feel taken advantage of

7.  If a friend keeps asking for money
 Feel overwhelmed by stress
 If you feel the need to solve all of your partner’s emotional
problems.
 If a parent invades your privacy
 Your co workers or managers might monopolize your time and
disregard your needs
 You’ll likely feel resentful.
FEW SCENARIOS:

8. Learning how to set and maintain boundaries
can change many aspects of your life, ranging
from work to family relations to dating.
It all starts with understanding the difference
between healthy and unhealthy boundaries.

9. TYPES OF HEALTHY PERSONAL
BOUNDARIES
• Physical Boundaries
• Sexual Boundaries
• Mental Boundaries
• Emotional Boundaries
• Material/Financial Boundaries
• Time Boundaries
• Spiritual Boundaries

10. Physical Boundaries
• help keep you comfortable and safe, not just when
you’re dealing with strangers, but also when you’re
interacting with those closest to you.
• For example, you might tell someone that you’d prefer
handshakes instead of hugs. Or you could tell a friend
that you need to take a rest during a lengthy bike ride.
• If a physical space belongs to you, you can set
limitations around that as well. Perhaps you don’t want
someone to intrude in your bedroom or clutter your
office with their items.

11. Sexual Boundaries
• could involve anything from asking for consent
before being physically intimate to checking in
with your partner’s comfort level during sex.
• Even if you’ve been with your partner for years,
you should make an ongoing habit of
communicating your preferences.
• You might want to reassess limitations and
expectations surrounding things like frequency of
sex and contraception use.

12. Emotional Boundaries
• ensure that others are respectful of your emotional well-
being and internal comfort level.
• When setting an emotional boundary, you might say
something like, “I don’t want to talk about this subject
while I’m at work because I need to focus.”
• You might also use these barriers to prevent yourself from
feeling overwhelmed by other people’s feelings.
• For example, you can acknowledge you’re not responsible
for how another person reacts to your decision to turn
them down for a second date.

13. Mental Boundaries
• Freedom to have your own beliefs, values, and
opinions
• “I respect your opinion, even though I don’t
agree, and I’d like you to respect mine.”

14. Material/Financial Boundaries
• Extend to your belongings, such as money, clothing, car, or
home. If you’re a charitable person, you might have a hard
time saying “no” to people who want to borrow items.
• However, people may intentionally or unintentionally take
advantage of your goodwill, and then you may notice your
own resentment building.
• When setting a material restriction, you might say something
like, “You can borrow my phone charger, but please put it
back when you’re done” or “No, I can’t loan you money for
new shoes.”

15. Time Boundaries
• allow you to focus on your priorities at work and in your
personal life without feeling crowded by other people’s needs
and wants.
• Imagine that you’ve had a stressful work week and want to
spend the weekend recuperating. You might decline a party
invite or set a limit on how long you’ll be there.
• Other time-related restrictions could include asking a friend to
avoid calling you during work hours or asking a partner to
delay an important conversation until a more convenient
time.

16. Spiritual Boundaries
• Relate to your beliefs and experiences in connection with God
or Higher Power.
• protect your right to believe in what you want, worship as you
wish, and practice your spiritual or religious beliefs.
• Examples: I’m going to take a moment and say a silent prayer
before we eat

17. SHIFTING BOUNDARIES

18. • Boundaries aren’t etched in stone
• Adjustments are made as circumstances change and
relationships grow
• Communication is the key
• The goal is you want the other person to be clear on the change
and the reason behind it.
• In many cases, you may not even realize a certain restriction is
needed until you get to know each other more.

19. INITIAL BOUNDARY NEW BOUNDARY
You initially have loose financial
boundaries with family members and
help them pay bills when necessary.
You lost your job, so you decide to set
tighter boundaries to protect your
financial well-being.
You often agree to work extra weekend
hours to help a coworker.
You cut back on hours so you can spend
more time with your newborn.
You allow a friend to vent their emotions
to you daily.
The over-sharing of information affects
your mental health, so you set a limit
on how often you talk about the subject.
You and your partner have sex multiple
times a week.
Your sex drive changes, and you ask
your partner if the two of you can focus
on different forms of intimacy.
You allow your brother-in-law to
temporarily use your garage for storage.
You need the space for your own needs,
so you talk to him about relocating his
items.
EXAMPLES OF SHIFTING BOUNDARIES

20. UNHEALTHY
BOUNDARIES

21. • Unhealthy boundaries involve a disregard
for your own and others’ values, wants,
needs, and limits.
• They can also lead to potentially abusive
dating/romantic relationships and
increase the chances of other types of
abusive relationships as well.

22. Here are some examples of what
unhealthy boundaries may look like:
• Disrespecting the values, beliefs, and opinions of others when you
do not agree with them.
• Not saying “no” or not accepting when others say “no.”
• Feeling like you are responsible for other people’s feelings and/or
happiness.
• Feeling like you are responsible for “fixing” or “saving” others.
• Touching people without their permission.
• Engaging in sexual activity without clear consent from the other
person.

23. • RIGID BOUNDARIES – keep other people at a
distance, even loved ones. Maybe you refuse
to talk about your emotions with your partner
or rarely set aside time to meet with friends.
• POROUS OR WEAK BOUNDARIES – develop
when you have a hard time saying “No” to
others. You might be too willing to take on all
the responsibilities in a relationship. Or maybe
you tend to overshare when talking to
strangers.

24. WHAT ARE THE REASONS WHY
PEOPLE MAY CONSISTENTLY
STRUGGLE WITH UNHEALTHY
BOUNDARIES?

25. • Desire for control
• Fear of rejection
• Lack of experience with
setting limitations
• Overly agreeable personality
• Low self-esteem

26. BOUNDARIES AND ENABLING BEHAVIOR
ENABLING – is when you shield someone from the
consequences of their actions.
When someone you love is dealing with addiction:
you may need to shift your boundaries to avoid
enabling their behavior.
Enabling isn’t limited to situations that involve
addiction. It can happen in other mental health
issues.

27. HOW TO SET AND MAINTAIN
BOUNDARIES?

28. The following tips can help you
establish boundaries if you are
experiencing trouble communicating
or connecting with a person in your life

29. Setting Boundaries Tip 1:
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT IN A
RELATIONSHIP
Ask yourself questions like:
1. What traits do I like to see in other relationships?
2. What behaviors bother me?
3. What qualities do I admire in others?
4. What material items matter the most to me and why?
5. How do I like to spend my time?
6. What makes me feel fulfilled?

30. ASSESSING HOW YOU FEEL WITH SOMEONE
Thinking about how others make you feel can
also help you identify necessary boundaries.
After interacting with other people, reflect on
your feelings by asking yourself question.

31. 1. Did the other person make jokes or comments that
made you feel disrespected?
2. Did they do anything that made you physically
uncomfortable or unsafe, such as raise their voice in
anger?
3. Did you feel pressured to do things that didn’t match
your values?
4. Did you feel overwhelmed by the person’s request or
expectations of you?
5. Did you feel as if they were infringing on your sense of
control or infantilizing you?

32. Setting Boundaries Tip 2:
TALK TO THE PERSON ABOUT YOUR
NEEDS
Know how to effectively communicate your needs is important.
 Consider timing
 Be prepared
 Consider the delivery
 Be clear
 Address feedback

33. FEEDBACK IN RELATIONSHIPS
In romantic relationships, it’s especially important to ask your
partner how they feel about a request, rather than guessing.
Each person has their own thoughts and feelings, and each
person is responsible for putting these sentiments into words
in order to be understood.
Let others take responsibility for their emotions. You shouldn’t
feel responsible for how the other person reacts to the
boundary.

34. Setting Boundaries Tip 3:
ENFORCE BOUNDARIES
Not everyone in your life is going to respect your boundaries all of the time.
 Restate your needs
 Have clear and reasonable consequences for
crossing a boundary
 Only state consequences that you’re willing to
enforce.

35. HOW TO RESPOND WHEN SOMEONE
ELSE SETS A BOUNDARY?
 You’re not the only one who can set boundaries.
 How do you feel when someone voices a restriction?

36.  Take time to breathe and listen
 Accept that the person setting the boundary
knows what is best for them.
 Remember that you both have your own way
of processing and feeling emotions
 Apologize when necessary

37. CONCLUSIONS
A moment of reflection can help you decide whether you need
to set limitations with the person in the future.
By gaining a more thorough understanding of yourself, you can
begin to imagine the types of boundaries you need.
By learning to accept and acknowledge other people’s
boundaries, you can start to think about how you can improve
your own connections with others.
Ultimately, effective boundaries can leave you both feeling
empowered and result in a healthier, more satisfying
relationship.