In today’s day and age, learning how to set boundaries has become somewhat of an essential skill. This skill must be mastered by every worker, manager, and even leader. Setting effective boundaries is a form of self-care that is directly related to maintaining better mental health. This, in turn, allows you to improve your performance and build stronger working relations with your co-workers.
When you refuse or are afraid to make personal boundaries, you invite negative things into your life. You could find yourself hurting, going without, asking why, and feeling defeated. On a personal level, not one person on the planet deserves respect more than another. Indeed, reverence for someone’s wishes and boundaries is a universal right that should be respected regardless of a person’s station in life.
The Right to Self-Expression
We teach our children that self-expression is a valuable tool in the world, and we are right to do so. As we become adults, we are thrust into a cruel work- environment. We often get so engrossed in people-pleasing that we end up relinquishing some of that power to keep the peace. This fear of rejection keeps us from asserting ourselves or realizing our full potential. Thus, we spend our lives looking for answers that are right in front of our faces. Having some clear boundaries can help you discover the ability to express yourself in a way that works best.
The Acquisition of Need
Since no two individuals are the same, nor is their working style. It’s challenging to get all the things you need in life if you are constantly following in others’ footsteps. By second-guessing your own ideas and decisions, you are letting others at work take you for granted. How will you ever prove yourself worthy of that promotion or get to showcase all your talents if you are always saying “yes” when you should be saying “no”? To be the best possible version of yourself at work, you will have to set some personal boundaries. Without proper boundaries in place, you could wake up one day and realize you’re being taken advantage of.
The Inevitability of Consequence
Not setting appropriate physical, mental, and even emotional boundaries from the very first day at work can cause you to deal with some severe consequences. It is an inevitable part of life that one action begets another. Isaac Newton put it plainly when he said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This principle can be applied to your everyday life. The inability to put boundaries on things makes it highly possible for anything to happen. If you want to have some control over the environment you spend a significant part of your day in, set up some workable rules and expect everyone to respect those wishes.
The Formulation of Boundaries
If you want to be taken seriously at work, you will have to structure some personal boundaries, but you want those boundaries to be as fair and logical as you can make them. Take a moment to think about what is important. These boundaries can be as basic as:
- Offering handshakes over hugs
- Creating a schedule that allows you to maintain a healthy work-life balance
- Separating yourself from indulging in office gossip
- Delegate work where necessary
- Keep the weekends for family and to unwind
Say no every once in a while
Once you have figured out what boundaries and limitations are acceptable to you, you need to think about ways to get others at work to understand your point of view. Try to keep in mind that a person’s inability to see eye-to-eye with you is not enough to cause them to completely disregard the boundaries you have made for yourself. It’s one thing to be an empathetic person. But allowing colleagues and even your employer to walk all over you is another story. There is nothing wrong with saying no if saying yes will cause you problems. Responsible and compassionately creating personal boundaries at work is essential for maintaining a happy, healthy, and stress-free day at work.
Nothing in this world is perfect, but this does not mean that you don’t have a right to monitor and limit the amount of negativity that appears in your realm. Remember, respect is earned, and you deserve it just as much as anyone else.
[…] Read More: Why Setting Personal Boundaries is Important? […]