8 Boundaries to Always Set In Your Relationships

No matter how much you love somebody, setting boundaries in relationships is necessary. Whether it’s with a romantic partner, a friend or a parent, creating boundaries can help make you prioritize self-care and feel respected in your day-to-day interactions. They also help define what behavior is appropriate in the relationship, and keep both people safe. First, you might be asking, what are boundaries? It’s different for everyone, but ultimately setting boundaries is a way to define expectations of ourselves and others. Here are the most important boundaries that you should set in your relationships with others, no matter what.

How to set boundaries

Boundaries are best set early on in a relationship, but no matter how long you’ve known someone, you can establish healthy rules and limitations at any point. First and foremost, you’ll need to know what you want out of the relationship based on your beliefs and values. Think about things like what behavior bothers you, how you like to spend your time, and what qualities you admire in other people.

Next, you can assess how you feel. If you find yourself pressured, disrespected or overwhelmed after an interaction, reflect on why you feel those emotions. This reflection can help you figure out if you want to set limitations. Finally, communicate your needs to other at an appropriate time and enforce those boundaries if they’re crossed. People in a relationship with healthy boundaries take responsibility for their actions and consider each other’s feelings.

1. The ability to say no

This is especially tough for people-pleasers. Saying no doesn’t come naturally to everybody, but sometimes you need to say no for the sake of your sanity. Having FOMO can also make it hard to say no. But remember to trust your gut and listen to that inner voice telling you to stay home in your pajamas, even though all your friends keep trying to convince you to go to some event. This is the foundation of healthy boundaries.

2. Asking for space

We all need personal space at some point or another. Whether it’s cooling down after a heated fight, self-care time or simply needing space and quiet while you’re working on something important, you’re absolutely entitled to that time, and your loved ones need to respect that.