Member-only story

Samantha Stein
3 min readAug 7, 2023

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There is much conversation about boundaries these days, but what, exactly, are boundaries? And why are they so important?

Simply put, boundaries are limits we personally set in order to protect our physical, emotional, and mental health, and they can be set with ourselves, with others, or with both. There are many different types of boundaries–some common ones include physical boundaries (such as not allowing someone to touch you without your consent), emotional boundaries (such as not allowing someone to verbally abuse you), and time or effort boundaries (such as creating a “hard stop” for a meeting or outlining clearly what efforts you will or will not make).

With the above examples, it may seem obvious why boundaries are important. They help us to protect ourselves from harm–keep us safe. They also help us to maintain our sense of self and feeling of control over our lives. When it comes to parenting, it is also crucial for the safety and health of children, as well as good modeling for them. However, people often have a difficult time setting them; the most common reason being that your boundary may mean someone else’s disappointment. In other words, setting a boundary often means being able to withstand the fact that others may not like it.

There are a few things to keep in mind when setting boundaries:

  1. Be clear and direct. The more clear and direct you are, the more others will be…

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Samantha Stein
Samantha Stein

Written by Samantha Stein

I’m a writer, photographer, and psychologist who (monthly) explores self, relationships, and mental health in an ever-changing world.

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