Personal Boundaries: Enforce Your Psychological Territory

Personal boundaries are guidelines we create to establish emotional, physical, and mental limits to protect ourselves and maintain a healthy sense of respect and psychological well-being. In a sense, boundaries are lines we draw around ourselves to establish our territory: What is and what is not acceptable to us on our turf. They are invisible but real – like the lines separating countries – and, like countries, the border is necessarily enforced.

“When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice.”

– Brené Brown

The Psychological Immune System

Boundaries are important because they protect us from feeling overwhelmed, violated, or unsafe. They help us to maintain our sense of self-worth and to feel confident in who we are. Healthy personal boundaries provide numerous psychological benefits, including:

• Mental and emotional health
• Clear communication
• Foster constructive and meaningful relationships
• Increased autonomy
• A developed identity
• Cultivates influence
• Burnout avoidance

Boundaries are necessary to take care of and protect ourselves psychologically. When we understand how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, we can avoid the feelings of resentment, disappointment, and anger that build up when limits have been overstepped. A healthy boundary system alerts us to harmful intentions and mobilizes us to deal with a negative situation. Consequently, they empower us to take action to eliminate destructive things from our lives and to retain what is positive.

Personal Boundary Violations

Dysfunctional boundaries leave us vulnerable, disorganized, and incapable of dealing with life’s problems. If we cannot sense personal violation, we invite poor treatment – even from good people. There are times when we are confused by how we have been treated by a friend, family member, co-worker, or loved one. We may be attempting to understand uneasy feelings we have about a person that we can’t quite put our finger on.

Signs We’re Being Violated

There is likely a boundary issue when:

• We use vague language to describe the issue and feelings surrounding the issue.
• We feel overwhelmed.
• A feeling of disorientation and confusion about a problem. There are often boundary issues within larger problems.

At some point in our lives, we have all felt our boundaries being violated. Some examples of indicators include feeling a person is disrespectful, strange, or creepy. Often, they will dismiss our interpretation of events and attempt to invalidate our feelings. They may deny that they said or told us something or call us “crazy” or otherwise question our sanity. Common circumstances involve inappropriate criticism, subtle controlling behavior, and efforts to undermine or isolate one socially. Additionally, for women it can often involve physical closeness (standing too close), gratuitous touching, and asking overly personal questions.

“If someone is inconsiderate or rude to you, risk telling them how it made you feel or that you didn’t appreciate being treated that way. If you tend to talk yourself out of anger by telling yourself that you don’t want to make waves, try telling yourself instead that it is okay to make waves sometimes and risk letting people know how you really feel.”

– Beverly Engel

Trust Your Instincts

When we suspect you are being violated, it is important to learn to pay attention to our discomfort and trust our intuition – because it’s probably right. The problem is that boundary violators often don’t know what others’ boundaries are, or that boundaries are actually a thing that exist. It is our job to set our boundaries with others by explaining clearly what we won’t put up but do it in an assertive way that does not come across like an attack. However, setting boundaries takes practice and involves deciding how to respond if someone oversteps our limits and comfort. Setting boundaries ensures that relationships are mutually respectful, appropriate, and caring.

Personal Boundaries Help Define Our Identity

Boundaries define the line between where we end and others begin. They distinguish our needs, beliefs, and values from those of others. Without boundaries, we are not in control of ourselves – other people may wind up telling us how to think, act, and feel. Consequently, we’re more likely to spend time and energy doing what other want us to do over our wishes and best interests. Emotionally, we may find ourselves taking responsibility for others’ feelings, having others dictate our feelings to us, inappropriately sacrificing and accepting emotional responsibility for others, and blaming others for our problems.

In short, weak boundaries allow others to move us further and further away from our authentic selves. Not only is establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries necessary for building healthy relationships, it is essential to developing and maintaining our identities, as well as reducing stress and other emotional negativity.

“If you want to live an authentic, meaningful life, you need to master the art of disappointing and upsetting others, hurting feelings, and living with the reality that some people just won’t like you. It may not be easy, but it’s essential if you want your life to reflect your deepest desires, values, and needs.”

– Cheryl Richardson

Personal Boundaries Represent Psychological Territory

From a broader psychological standpoint, our personal boundary marks what we control in our “psychological territory” from what we do not. In this sense, our boundary contains our personal psychological assets – such as self-esteem, decision power, experience, and intellect – or Resources for short. When we have strong personal boundaries, we see clearly what we control and focus on the present rather than wasting our Resources on what we do not control, particularly the behavior of people in the past and their possible behavior in the future.

Personal Boundaries: Holes

A good analogy for a healthy boundary system is a chain link fence around our territory. A healthy boundary system lets good, positive things in but keeps negative things out. “Holes” in our boundary are places where we attempt to control the uncontrollable (things outside our boundary), or places where we let negative things, like stress, in. In simplest terms, holes are places where we refuse to hear “no” from the outside environment (we believe “things should be this way!”) or where we refuse to say “no” to the environment. The consequence of holes is usually mental anguish in one form or another.

Because our boundaries are a figurative container for our Resources, attempting to control the uncontrollable (i.e. refusing to hear “no”) results in us squandering our Resources. Our psychological stamina is limited, so we could say our Resources “leak” through the hole in our boundaries when engaged in futile efforts to control the out-of-control. Likewise, when we allow stress and negativity (i.e. hurt or loss) to penetrate our boundary, it becomes part of our emotional energy, our psyche – we now own it, the negativity is “ours” and resolving it consumes Resources that could have been otherwise used on something productive.

Negative Consequences of Weak Boundaries

Holes in our boundary have consequences:

• Thin Skin. Easily overwhelmed by stress, outside environment has control over us.
• Exhaustion. Being at the mercy of others and overwhelmed is psychologically taxing.
• Denial. Inability to see the limits of our control, believe we control something or someone that we do not. Also applies to unreasonable or inappropriate goals whose outcome are not fully dependent on our actions and that depend to a large degree on luck, chance, or genetics.
• Weakens our ability to be assertive. Asserting our needs/wants is handicapped and ability to stand our ground is compromised.
• Identity issues. Holes weaken asserting our preferences and make our personality vague.
• Relationship issues. Vague concept of where our responsibility ends and others begins.
• Regret and worry. Wasted energy on the past and the future, neither of which are under our direct control.
• Negative emotions. Jealously (future-focused), revenge (past-focused).
• External locus-of-control. Subjective experience of powerlessness (at the mercy of economy, boss, girlfriend, etc.)
• Less effective problem-solving and decision making.
• Holes in boundary always partially responsible for addiction.

Holes Debase Our Experience of Life

What we notice about the above consequences is that holes in the boundary not only affect our behavior but just as importantly our subjective experience. Holes are characterized by psychological vertigo: vagueness, confusion, disorientation. Because of this mental vertigo, it can be difficult to correctly identify and take responsibility for our part in our behavior and emotional experience. Holes can trigger the experience of “being thrown”, or losing our composure. Often, our Holes represent “buttons” or emotional vulnerability that allows others to “get under our skin” (in other words, to pass through our boundary) and seemingly provoke negative emotions in us. Additionally, holes can also manifest as “blind spots” or a lack of self-awareness surrounding relationships and behavior with others. Blind spots are personality and cognition patterns one can’t see in oneself but others can clearly see.

Holes in Personal Boundaries: Buttons

Giving Others Power Over Us

When we say that someone “makes” us feel a certain way, we are giving them power over our emotions. We are essentially saying that they have the ability to control how we feel. However strong this illusion, the fact is we are the only ones who have control over our emotions. We can choose to let someone’s words or actions upset us, or we can choose to let them roll off our backs. Other people may say or do things that we find annoying, frustrating, or even hurtful. However, how we react to those things is up to us. We can choose to let their words or actions control us, or we can choose to respond in a way that is emotionally proactive, healthy, and productive.

Not allowing others to press our buttons is easy to say but difficult to do. Emotions are complex psychological responses that involve a combination of our thoughts, beliefs, past experiences, values, and personal characteristics. Moreover, when we encounter a situation, we interpret it based first on our core beliefs followed by the unique cognitive and emotional filters comprising our boundary system. These interpretations then lead to emotional reactions.

Self-Awareness is Key

The difficulty arises when the hole in our boundary causes us to experience our emotional reaction as out of our conscious control – seemingly automatic. This is because the ingrained emotional reaction to the belief surrounding the triggering event has been reinforced and strengthened by repetition over many years. Often both the original belief and related hole were created in childhood and we not even remember the event or circumstances. Consequently, our subjective experience is when someone behaves in a certain way, we have what seems be an automatic emotional, and even physical, response that is ultimately self-defeating. The key to regaining control of our response lies in understanding the causal event chain leading to the emotional response and breaking the link between the activating event and our belief about the event, because it is our (perhaps unconscious) belief about the event that triggers the emotional reaction.

We Are Responsible For Both Our Emotions and Our Reaction

In conclusion, it is important to remember that, regardless of our subjective experience, we are all responsible for our emotions. We cannot control how other people behave, but we can control how we respond. If we want to be in control of our emotions, we need to learn how to manage them effectively. This means being aware of our triggers and the event chain leading to the emotion and having proactive coping techniques at the ready.

Managing Our Emotions

Here are some tips for managing emotions:

• Be aware of your triggers. For example, what are the things that tend to make you angry? Once you know your triggers, you can start to develop coping mechanisms for dealing with them.
• Develop a situational awareness. Examine the connection between the trigger and your belief surrounding the trigger. Is your belief appropriate in every circumstance? Is it appropriate in the current circumstance? Journaling can help sort this out and move you closer to the ability to separate the belief from the trigger in real time when appropriate.
• Pause. If you find yourself reacting, take a few breaths. Feel how the event led to the belief and how the emotional response followed. Examine if the emotion is appropriate to the situation/event.
• Do not be hesitant to take some time to settle down, especially if you find yourself getting angry. If necessary, walk away and take a few minutes to cool down before you say or do anything. This could range from taking a few deep breaths to going for a walk, or listening to some music.
• If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your emotions, talk to someone you trust. They can offer you support and help you to process your feelings.
• Practice relaxation techniques. There are numerous relaxation techniques that can help you to manage your emotions.

Negative Emotions are Normal

It is also important to remember that it is appropriate to feel upset sometimes if the situation warrants it. In fact, it is normal, healthy, and appropriate to feel angry/upset if someone has hurt or wronged us. Anger and sadness are normal emotions – if we never experience anger or emotional upset, we are not firing on all emotional cylinders. But whatever the case, it is important to express it in a healthy way. If you are feeling angry, try to express your anger in a way that is assertive but not aggressive. This could mean talking to the person who made you angry, writing in a journal, or exercising.

Remember, you are the only one who has control over your emotions. You can choose to let other people’s words or actions control you, or you can choose to respond in a way that is healthy and productive.

Holes in Personal Boundaries: Blind Spots

Partial List of Blind Spots

• Confirmation Bias. The tendency to favor information that confirms existing beliefs and opinions while ignoring or dismissing evidence that contradicts them. It can lead to an unintentionally closed-minded attitude and prevent us from seeing alternative perspectives.
• Overconfidence. A tendency to overestimate abilities, knowledge, or judgment, leading to risky and possibly destructive decisions and unrealistic expectations.
• Projection. Projection involves attributing one’s feelings, desires, beliefs, or values onto others, often without realizing it. For example, someone who is competitive may assume that everyone around them is also highly competitive. This also applies to social values, for example, people in a foreign country might project their cultural values on the behavior of a tourist and assume they are low-class and intentionally give offense when in fact the tourist is ignorant of local customs.
• Denial. Denial is a defense mechanism where one refuses to accept or acknowledge uncomfortable truths or realities about themselves or their circumstances.
• Stereotyping and Prejudice. People may hold unconscious biases or stereotypes about certain groups, affecting their perceptions and behaviors without being fully aware.
• Self-Serving Bias. This is the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to one’s abilities or efforts but blame external factors for negative outcomes. It helps protect self-esteem but can hinder personal growth, learning, and actualization.

“In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” –Desiderius Erasmus

• Procrastination. Some individuals may have blind spots about their own procrastination habits, failing to recognize the emotional components behind their delays in taking action.
• Cognitive Dissonance. This occurs when there is a discrepancy between a person’s beliefs and actions, leading to discomfort. People may engage in mental gymnastics to resolve this dissonance without realizing they are doing so.
• The Dunning-Kruger Effect. This cognitive bias describes the tendency of people with low ability or expertise in a particular area to overestimate their competence, and likewise the tendency of those with high expertise to underestimate theirs.
• Fear of Failure or Success. Some individuals may have unconscious fears that hold them back from pursuing opportunities or setting and achieving goals.

Identifying and addressing these psychological blind spots can be challenging because they are, by definition, difficult to see. Therefore, self-reflection, feedback from others, and a willingness to explore one’s thoughts and emotions by journaling can help shed light on these blind spots and further personal growth and self-awareness.

Personal Boundaries: Walls

A wall in the personal boundary is a rigid and static barrier that we put up to protect ourselves from feeling hurt or vulnerable. They are established in our interactions and relationships with others in response to past trauma and abuse and stand in the way of us forming healthy relationships. Although created to protect us from further hurt, they often lead to isolation, loneliness, misunderstandings, and strained relationships.

Boundary walls can be of several varieties. For men, the most common type are emotional walls, which prevent us from fully experiencing and expressing our emotions. The is often accompanied by feeling numb or shut down and manifests as having difficulty trusting and connecting with others. Another common wall is mental, involving blocking out thoughts and feelings that we don’t want to deal with. Also known as compartmentalization, we may seek escape or engage in self-destructive behaviors.

Another type of wall involves the creation of physical distance between ourselves and others. Increasingly common in our technology-driven society, this distance and separation, or physical wall, allows us to avoid spending time with others and limits our interactions to the virtual and superficial. Finally, we may create a spiritual wall, disconnecting from our faith or spirituality and feeling lost and alone. A spiritual wall is often constructed by those having difficulty finding meaning and fulfillment in life and is a type of self-confirmed expectation (i.e. self-fulfilling prophecy or interpersonal expectancy effect).

Walls: Causes and Issues

Here’s a closer look at walls within personal boundaries:

• Overprotection. Walls are a defense mechanism to shield ourselves from psychological pain or emotional harm. While boundaries are important for protection, walls hinder the development of real connection.
• Isolation. When boundaries become walls, they isolate individuals from meaningful relationships and experiences. It becomes challenging for others to connect with someone who is distant and closed off.
• Communication Deficiencies. Walls hinder effective communication. Open and honest communication requires vulnerability and sharing emotions. When walls prevent this, misunderstandings and misinterpretations often arise. When someone is emotionally guarded, their actions or words can easily be misconstrued, leading to unnecessary conflicts.
• Refusal to be Vulnerable. Walls often stem from a fear of being vulnerable. Vulnerability involves sharing emotions, thoughts, and fears, despite the risk of criticism or rejection. The willingness to be vulnerable is necessary to create deep interpersonal connection. Walls prevent vulnerability and impede emotional growth.
• Stunted Personal Growth. Healthy relationships involve learning, adapting, and growing together. Walls hinder personal growth and evolution because they block new experiences and perspectives.
• Retarded Intimacy. Intimacy is built on emotional closeness, trust, and understanding. Walls restrict intimacy from developing because they keep people separated.
• Breaking Down Relationships. Walls strain relationships over time. Others might become more emotionally invested in the relationship but could feel shut out or rejected, leading to distance and ultimately breaking the connection.
• Inflexibility. Walls often lead to inflexibility in relationships. The person with walls might be unwilling to respect the viewpoints of others. Additionally, they might not consider others’ wants and needs, which can cause conflict.
• Difficulty in Seeking Support. When someone has walls, seeking support or asking for help becomes difficult. Not only might they struggle to reach out to others, but they may be difficult for others to reach and help.

Walls Can Be As Destructive As Holes

Walls in personal boundaries can be very destructive, both to ourselves and to others whom we form relationships with. Like filling holes in the boundary, breaking down walls takes time and effort, when we are able to create healthy boundaries instead of holes or walls, we feel more confident, secure, and connected to others.

It’s important to note that personal boundaries should be balanced. While it’s crucial to establish healthy boundaries to protect oneself, creating walls that completely shut out others can be just as detrimental to emotional well-being and relationships as holes. Therefore, striking a balance between protecting oneself and allowing for meaningful connections is key. The mechanism for establishing balance is the creation of conceptual “doors” in the boundary.

Personal Boundaries: Doors

Instead of having holes or walls, healthy mature boundaries have “doors”, which refer to access points that allow others entry to our lives – our personal space, emotions, thoughts, and experiences. The concept of doors represent a meeting of conscious and constructive decision-making with our boundary function, allowing us to manage and control the level of access others have to different aspects of our lives. In addition, it increases our personal power by subtly shifting our boundaries from the reactive subconscious toward consciousness and awareness. This allows us to intensionally “open the door” to constructive ideas, positive emotional energies, and productive behaviors and “shut the door” on destruction, stress, and hurt. Here are some key concepts related to boundary doors:

Door Concepts

• Permeability. Just as doors in a secure building have varying levels of clearances, (from public to highly restricted), boundaries also have different levels of permeability. Some doors might be wide open, allowing trusted friends and family to enter freely. Other doors might be partially open, allowing acquaintances limited access, while some doors might be firmly closed, reserving certain aspects of our lives for ourselves.
• Access to Emotions. Doors in boundaries control access to our emotions. We might fully share our feelings with close friends but keep certain emotions private from others. Likewise, we shut the door when others inappropriately project negative emotions onto us.
• Privacy. Doors symbolize privacy. They allow us to decide what we want to share and what we want to keep hidden. People have different levels of comfort with sharing personal information, and these doors help maintain a sense of privacy.
• Trust and Intimacy. Opening certain doors is often an indicator of trust and intimacy. Allowing someone into our inner thoughts and feelings indicates a level of closeness and connection.
• Setting Limits. Doors also help set limits. They allow us to communicate what we are comfortable with, ensuring that others respect our boundaries.

“The more you value yourself, the healthier your boundaries are.” –Lorraine Nilson

• Respecting Boundaries. When we embrace metaphorical doors for ourselves, it imparts, through tonality and body language, a respect for our emotional and mental boundaries. This works in the same way a closed physical door imparts a social cue for others to knock before entering.
• Communication. Being aware of the doors in our boundaries is essential for effective communication – which requires a willingness to say what we need and not over-explain; this requires a clear understanding of our place, what we control and what we do not. Additionally, we can communicate which doors are open, partially open, or closed, helping others understand how much access they have.
• Boundaries and Relationships. Understanding and respecting each other’s doors is crucial for healthy relationships. It promotes understanding, reduces misunderstandings, and encourages mutual respect.
• Adaptive Doors. Boundaries are not static; they can change over time. Doors might open wider as trust develops, or they might close as a form of self-care or protection.
• Balance. Like physical doors in a house, maintaining a balance between openness and closure is important. Being closed-off leads to isolation, while being too open makes us vulnerable.

Doors Represent Entry Points

Doors within personal boundaries are conceptual entry points into our lives. They represent trust, privacy, intimacy, and communication. Implementing the concept of doors helps us navigate relationships, set limits, and maintain a healthy balance between sharing and protecting our psychological and emotional space. Healthy boundary doors are necessary to establish mutually rewarding interdependent relationships and will be discussed in the Independence, Enmeshment, Codependence, and Interdependence post (coming soon).

Trauma

However, it is possible to have our boundaries penetrated despite having durable boundaries and doors. For example, natural disasters and other acts of God may occur without warning. Destructive and malevolent people or organizations may deliberately ignore our boundaries and hurt us. Furthermore, penetration can be the result of criminal acts, war, or, more commonly, we may succumb to more everyday life events when the amplitude of stressors is greater than our self-esteem. In any case, the result is trauma. The ability to transform our weaknesses into strengths is a shared theme of many religious organizations. In the masculinity section, the post “It’s Not Machismo” alluded to secret ingredients that separated authentically masculine men from the merely mature. The ability to transform trauma to power is one of those key ingredients (coming soon).

The Boundary as a Filter

Personal boundaries operate at a pre-conscious level and are regulated by core beliefs and values. They act as a filter and pre-process our interactions and experiences, much like a sieve that sifts out what is acceptable and beneficial while dismissing what may be harmful, overwhelming, or manipulative. In addition, this filtering process automatically structures our experience so as to minimize confusion and chaos and occurs on various aspects of our lives, including emotional, mental, physical and social levels:

Types of Boundary Filters

• Emotional Filtering. Personal boundaries help us regulate our emotional responses to external events. When we have well-defined emotional boundaries, we can identify and process our feelings effectively. We allow positive emotions and experiences to flow through while filtering out negative influences that may trigger stress, anxiety, or emotional turmoil.
• Protecting Personal Space. Boundaries act as a shield to protect our personal space and privacy. They define the limits of what others can access in terms of our time, thoughts, and emotions. By filtering out intrusions, we ensure that we have time for ourselves and maintain a sense of autonomy.
• Healthy Relationships. Personal boundaries serve as a filter in our relationships. They enable us to distinguish between healthy connections that support our well-being and toxic relationships that may drain our energy and cause harm. By setting boundaries, we can filter out harmful dynamics and nurture relationships that are mutually respectful and fulfilling.
• Decision-Making. Boundaries aid in decision-making by providing a framework through which we evaluate choices and opportunities. They help us assess whether an option aligns with our values and priorities, allowing us to filter out options that may not serve our best interests.
• Self-Care and Prioritization. Setting personal boundaries is an act of self-care. It helps us prioritize activities and commitments and eliminate those that may lead to burnout or overextension, allowing us to avoid distractions and dedicate time to what truly matters.

“You never have to justify your intuition.” –Shahida Arabi

• Communication Filtering. Boundaries play a vital role in communication. They help us filter our thoughts before expressing them, ensuring that we communicate with clarity and respect. Boundaries also filter out harmful or disrespectful communication from others, promoting healthier exchanges.
• Conflict Management. Boundaries act as a filter in conflict situations. They help us assess the situation objectively and respond in a measured manner, filtering out knee-jerk reactions and emotional outbursts, and allowing us to engage in conflict assertively as opposed to aggressively.
• Minimizing Stress. Personal boundaries filter out sources of stress and prevent us from being overwhelmed. By setting limits on what we can handle and what we expose ourselves to, we create a buffer against unnecessary chaos and pressure.
• Self-Reflection and Growth. Boundaries encourage self-reflection. They prompt us to examine our values, needs, and emotions, and filter out patterns or incongruent information that may hinder personal growth.
• Cultivating Positivity. By filtering out negativity and toxicity, personal boundaries create space for positive influences and experiences to flourish. This leads to a more positive outlook on life and a superior overall life-experience.

Benefits of Healthy Personal Boundaries

Personal boundaries assist us in navigating day-to-day life by helping determine what we pay attention to and what we dismiss. When we have clear boundaries, we are more likely to prioritize information and events that are relevant to us and less likely to be distracted by what is not important.

Because our boundaries are shaped by our beliefs and values, they pre-process our interpretation of everyday experience in a way that is consistent with those values. This helps create mental space for making positive choices that are aligned with our values. As a result, we have more fulfilling experiences that are positive emotionally. Additionally, when we have clear personal boundaries, we feel safer and in control in our environment. We know that we can trust and protect ourselves and we feel less likely to be overwhelmed or stressed by our surroundings, minimizing the chaos and negativity that life inevitably throws at us.

Personal Boundaries, Preferences, and Identity

“Our boundaries define our personal space – and we need to be sovereign there in order to be able to step into our full power and potential.”

– Jessica Moore

While personal boundaries are in large part the ability to say and hear “no”, they also help regulate the things we say “yes” to and affect our ability to be proactive in our own lives, to live at-cause. Key to living responsibly is implementing our boundary system to distill our awareness of, and assertively communicate, our preferences – our likes, dislikes, and inclinations – and our passions.

Having preferences plays a crucial role in building a strong identity as it contributes to self-discovery, individuality, and developing personality. Thus, actively asserting our preferences helps build a strong identity by enhancing:

The Healthy Boundary and Benefits to Identity

• Self-Awareness. Understanding and communicating our preferences both requires and develops self-awareness. By exploring what we enjoy, what matters to us, and what we gravitate toward, we gain insight into our own desires, needs, and aspirations. Self-awareness is a foundational in building a strong and authentic identity.
• Differentiation from Others. Preferences are unique to individuals, and they help differentiate us from others. Embracing and expressing our distinct tastes and choices contributes to individuality and selfhood. It allows us to be comfortable with who we are, rather than conforming to external pressures or societal expectations.
• Values and Beliefs. Our preferences usually align with our values and beliefs. For example, the books, movies, or causes we are drawn to often reflect our deeper convictions. As we recognize and follow these preferences, they can strengthen and reinforce our core values.
• Building Relationships. Preferences influence the kinds of relationships we form. Sharing common interests with others can lead to meaningful connections and builds a personal community. On the flip side, awareness of our preferences and a healthy respect for differences can create a more diverse social circle and enrich our perspective of the world.
• Self-Expression. Embracing our preferences allows us to express ourselves authentically. Whether through the words that we say, the hobbies we pursue, or the art we create, our preferences influence the communication of who we are to the world.

“We all have our preferences – some people go for birds – but for me, there’s just something about the wolf” –Sarah Hall

• Decision-Making. Preferences help us make choices that align with our identity and values. They guide our decisions in career paths, relationships, and lifestyle, leading to a more fulfilling and purpose-driven life.
• Personal Growth. Recognizing our preferences involves exploring uncharted waters to help determine what we do and do not like. Stepping outside of our comfort zones, embracing new interests, and discovering what resonates with us fosters personal growth and enriches our identity.
• Resilience. Understanding and valuing our preferences can enhance resilience. When we face challenges or criticism, a strong identity allows us to stay true to ourselves and navigate adversity with greater confidence.
• Sense of Purpose. Having preferences is a requisite for finding purpose and direction in life. Pursuing what we are passionate about brings fulfillment and meaning to our life journey.
• Empowerment. Embracing our preferences empowers us to make choices for ourselves, rather than being swayed by external pressures or expectations. An internal locus-of-control strengthens our identity and sense of agency.

In conclusion, having strong preferences helps build a strong identity by promoting self-awareness, individuality, and the alignment of choices with personal values and beliefs. In this way, preferences contribute to self-expression and fulfillment.

Tips For Developing Strong Preferences

• Pay attention to your likes and dislikes. What do you enjoy doing? Find interesting? Makes you feel satisfied?
• Think about your values. What is important to you? What do you believe in?
• Explore different activities and experiences. This will help you to discover new things that you enjoy and that you are passionate about.
• Be open to change. Your preferences may change over time as you learn more about yourself, the world around you, and as your perspective and awareness increase.

Guidelines for Closing the Door on Stress and Hurt

• Self-Awareness

• Clear Communication:

• Setting and Enforcing Personal Boundaries:

• Self-Care:

“You are in control of your life. Set new boundaries by removing all of the toxic people from your inner circle.” –Germany Kent

• Emotional Regulation:

• Healthy Distancing:

• Boundaries with Technology:

• Seek Support:

In Summary

Personal boundaries are limits we establish to protect our well-being, individuality, and ourselves in relationships. They define how we interact with others, communicate our wants and needs, and maintain autonomy. Healthy personal boundaries allow us to feel safe, respected, and in control of our lives and protect us from harm. Additionally, healthy personal boundaries involve self-awareness, clear communication, and the ability to assertively protect our values, emotions, and personal space. By setting and maintaining these boundaries, we cultivate a balanced sense of self, create respectful relationships, prevent burnout, and navigate life’s challenges while preserving our mental and emotional health.

Dysfunctional boundaries have holes and walls, resulting in allowing stress and hurt in, and blocking us from healthy connections with others. Furthermore, dysfunctional boundaries are a main contributor to numerous issues including denial, projection, isolation, overwhelming stress, and a subjectively negative life experience. Healthy boundaries enable us to form healthy and meaningful relationships, stand up for ourselves, take responsibility for and control our emotions, take care of ourselves, and generally have a positive subjective experience.

Personal boundaries shape our perception of the experience of life.

When transitioning from dysfunctional boundaries to increasingly healthy ones, we may feel guilty or selfish for saying no to others. We may also be afraid of upsetting or alienating people. However, it is important to remember that setting healthy personal boundaries is essential for our emotional well-being.

But far from being selfish, healthy boundaries not only allows for us to have a positive experience with others, but informs them how to have a positive experience with us. Relationships are not a zero-sum game – healthy personal boundaries are truly a win-win.