Developing Boundaries tips for clients @ counselling service Newcastle
Our Counselling service Newcastle offers support with developing boundaries within your relational dynamics. This post is focusing on self help tips and by no means over looking the importance or the depth therapy supports this further.
Establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries in relationships is crucial for maintaining a sense of self and promoting overall well-being. Here are some strategies that might help you navigate and maintain healthy boundaries in their relationships:
1. Self-awareness: Developing self-awareness is the first step in establishing healthy boundaries. It involves understanding your own needs, values, and limits. Take time to reflect on what is important to you and what you are comfortable with in a relationship. I really recommend breaking down your life to key areas e.g. work, family, friend and intimate relations and journaling. Observe what boundaries are going well and what you would like to amend and grow. Boundaries with self is an important factor and possibly a blog post for a future date.
2. Clear communication: Open and honest communication is key to setting and maintaining boundaries. Clearly express your needs, expectations, and limits to your partner or others. Be assertive in expressing your feelings and desires, while also accounting the other person’s perspective. This might seem really scary at the start and its perfectly okay to feel like this. You are starting a new way of relating needs. Think back to your younger years, did you have a space to voice your needs. Think now to what age you are. This can be like a whole new experience for many. Take your time. This is like creating a new skill.
3. Practice self-care: Prioritising self-care is essential for maintaining healthy boundaries. Take time for yourself, engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation, and set aside personal time to recharge. By taking care of your own needs, you can better establish boundaries that protect your well-being.
4. Learn to say no: It is such a small word but for many difficult to say. It has much meaning. Perhaps you are worried what others might say or think of you. Saying yes when you really want to say no builds up resentment for self and anger. Saying no doesn’t make you selfish or uncaring; it is a way of understanding your own limits and needs. If you are struggling to say no directly, there are many others way “I would love to do that but unfortunately I’m doing ABC”. Role play is a fantastic space to build up confidence and assertiveness. Within therapy at our counselling service Newcastle we don’t simply problem solve, depending on the therapy we look at the reasons behind this. Some people it might be related to parenting or people pleasing tendencies. We look at the whole person within our service.
6. Regular self-reflection: Regularly reflecting on your boundaries and assessing if they are still serving you well is essential to monitor progress. As individuals we grow and change and boundaries may need to be adjusted.
Counselling Service Newcastle