Boundaries are tough, but setting them is crucial to maintaining healthy relationships and good health. It’s easy enough to tell someone, “You should say no more often.” But that’s always easy in practice, is it?
When a family member is needy, your boss expects more of you, or you don’t have the energy to re-route a conversation, setting healthy boundaries take a lot more grit.
In the book The Boundaries Flip Chart, mental health social worker and licensed counsellor Nedra Glover Tawwab gets real about boundaries and asks, “What do healthy boundaries look and sound like?”
For chronic people pleasers, or anyone who feels guilty for saying no, her worksheet on this is incredible. Not only does it give you 13 examples of when you may need to set boundaries, but she provides phrases that can help you stand your ground.
For instance, if you’re concerned about how someone will respond to your no, you can respond with, “Please respect by decision.” Or, if you need space for yourself, you can alert your boundary by saying, “I need some time and space.”
The worksheet is available as a free high-resolution download here, and you can pick up The Boundaries Flip Chart here.
In the meantime, take a look at these examples from Nedra’s book below. How can you set a firm and healthy boundary this week?
