A lot of times we see boundaries as something between us and another person, right? “You can’t speak to me that way,” or “I won’t allow you to treat me that way.” It’s you clearly defining what is acceptable and unacceptable for you — what you’re willing to allow into your life.
I think it’s also important to create boundaries for yourself to abide by. For example, one of our community members asked, “What if I feel really uncomfortable at the gym? I feel everyone’s staring at me.”
If you can’t block that out, if it’s not something that you feel you can master at this time, then you can set up very clear boundaries for yourself to only exercise or work out in environments where you feel comfortable.
If that means you’re outside walking by yourself or you’re working out in your home, wherever it is that makes you feel comfortable and willing to work out, that might be the boundary.
You might set boundaries for yourself in regards to what foods you allow in your house. If you know cookies are a trigger food for you, you might say, “I’ll have them when I go out. I’ll have them on occasion, but they won’t come into my home.”
One of the boundaries I set for myself when I was losing weight was to stop purchasing diet books. I knew that it set me on a bad mental spiral and I wasn’t going to do it anymore.
You should reevaluate as you progress. As you change your life and your perspective, your boundaries may also change. Boundaries don’t have to be stagnant. When you’re thinking about boundaries, don’t just focus on external factors, like people and things going on outside of you; create them for yourself.
Pretend you’re protecting yourself. What will you allow into your life that’s going to help you achieve your goals and make you feel really great? Create almost an ethical code of how to keep yourself safe, happy and healthy.
Comment below or on Facebook and let us know how you will establish boundaries in your life.