exercise with you. This other should be a friend or colleague but not someone with whom you are very close. We understand this may not feel easy, and you would be more comfortable with someone more familiar to you. But in close relationships, boundaries will be well established. We need you to step outside your comfort zone in order to experience a fresh boundary.
Begin by standing facing each other a comfortable distance apart – this might be four foot away from each other, or more or less.
You are going to stay on your spot. Notice the distance that feels comfortable. Now ask your exercise partner to step closer. They are now in charge of their movements and are gradually going to take one step at a time towards you, pausing for 30 seconds between each step. In that pause, consider how comfortable you feel.
As they come closer, note when you start to feel some level of discomfort. And when do you notice you are really not happy, and that your skin is starting to throw up a few goosebumps? When do you want to scream ‘stop’ – because your personal space now feels properly invaded? At that point ask your partner to step back.
So, what just happened?
This is your body unconsciously registering where it feels most comfortable in relation to another person. This is your discernible physical boundary. Bear this in mind as you read through the book – who oversteps this boundary and who stays too far away?
We suggest you have a notebook to hand while you go through the book so you can write down your experience of exercises like this and ideas that you want to make a note of so you can build up your own Learning Journal as you work through the book.
Part of understanding how to use boundaries is learning to look at interpersonal relationships and your own part in them. Then, deciding where and how to establish a boundary doesn’t just get easier, it becomes self-evident. The exercise above is your first step towards this.
Developing confidence in your own decision-making and its effect on your behaviour will make you happier as it means you are properly owning and taking care of yourself. In our experience: boundaries can give peace of mind. Boundaries give freedom. Boundaries are bliss.
‘The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.’
OPRAH WINFREY
It is so important that you care for yourself first before you decide how much you can give to or care for another. Self-care is not selfish or even self-centred – quite the opposite. Remember when you get on a plane how the flight attendants tell you – in the case of emergency – to put on your own oxygen mask first, before helping others?
That’s a practical example of self-care – which is clearly aimed at a wider good. Setting self-boundaries is not about ignoring the needs of others, it’s about not ignoring yourself.
Take a minute to notice your reactions to what you have just read. What are your thoughts and feelings? When you read about the oxygen mask, does that make sense?
Can you think of a recent example of an occasion when you have put yourself first? Perhaps it was having an early night when others expected you to stay up to help or entertain them. Maybe you can’t think of an example, but you may know someone who seems confident in putting their needs first (but whom you don’t think of as selfish). You might view them as ‘sorted’ or ‘in control’. Write these initial thoughts down in your Learning Journal.
In Step One, we will learn to create and/or strengthen our personal boundaries which affect sleep, fitness, unhealthy habits, social media and e-mail and our attitude to our ‘self’ in general. We will also introduce a concept called the ‘Drama Triangle’, which explains how you interact with others.
In Jennie’s clinical practice, many clients come with an array of real problems involving other people – such as spouses or children – but what is often underlying is a lack of self-care and a surprising lack of awareness of their own needs. Encouraging them to focus on themselves first makes it easier to tackle their issues with others.
We all benefit from a bit of time and space to reflect on our lives and ourselves. And this book isn’t a replacement for therapy or suggesting anyone needs it. But Jennie knows from more than twenty years in practice – working all over the UK – there are many recurring personal and emotional issues which boundaries can help with.
Have you ever reflected on your personal rules for life – those that dictate things like our bedtimes, eating habits, manners and attitudes to relationships, which all develop over time. These are our ‘self-boundaries’ – and they primarily affect us (though they may well have a knock-on effect on others).
Here, we’ll be exploring our key self-boundaries and explaining how we can set them, taking into account our practical and emotional needs. This is a holistic approach to life – getting into the habit of caring for ourself in all regards. Treating ourself with respect and kindness will change the way we live, before we even start improving relationships with those around us.
We’re going to put you back in charge of your own life, before we go on to explaining how to use boundaries with others.
EXERCISE: Visualise Your Boundary (Listen to this exercise here)
Read through the following, then start.
Sitting in a comfy chair, take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Settle yourself. Notice your breathing throughout the exercise.
Now, picture yourself stood in a large field. It is a beautiful sunny day, with blue sky, birds singing and lush green grass underfoot. Take a good look around your field and notice where you are in the field.
As you stand there, imagine that a boundary appears around you. What does it look like? What is it made of? How wide is it? How tall? Is it the same all the way around? Are there doors or windows? How do you feel within your boundary?
Now, imagine your field is becoming populated first with your family, then friends, then work colleagues, and finally everyone in your life, some closer, some further away. The boundary stays in place, but some may be within it and some outside.
Note again how you feel inside your boundary. Who is near to you, and who is far away?
Then open your eyes.
Go to your Learning Journal and answer these questions (you may want to draw rather than write your response): What does your boundary look like? Can you describe it? How did you feel when you were inside it? Did you feel safe, trapped, or lonely? Was there a difference between how you felt when there was and wasn’t a boundary? What was it like when the other people appeared in your field? What’s your view on your boundary? Does it feel secure? Does it allow you to be in contact with others or is it too rigid?
Are you surprised at your responses? Looking back at this boundary, would you consider it to be good enough? If not, write down what that ‘perfect’ boundary might look like. For example, if the boundary that first came into your mind had a perimeter of barbed wire, would you prefer it to be a natural, more porous hedge? It’s useful to do this exercise and imagine a physical boundary, but don’t worry – this mental picture can and will change as you become more confident of your needs.
So, why do your own boundaries matter in the context of
