Mental health and talk of setting boundaries if often taboo. However, I am an introvert and I have to set boundaries to get through my day.
In Covid, it seems these mental health issues have been amplified. The first thing I am going to remind you of is that EVERYONE has mental health issues. Every single person on this planet struggles with some form of mental health. No one has it all together or is always happy. I do believe it’s important to look on the bright side but it’s also perfectly acceptable to honor your feelings and be sad.
I had one of those sad weeks, I used to immediately try to pull myself out of the funk and be happy. However, I have found that affects my mental health more because I don’t allow myself time to be sad. So I let myself be sad, not forever, but for the time being. I honored my emotions, I cried a bit. I put things in perspective and then I looked on the bright side and lifted myself up. I coach women on how to life a healthy life, physically and mentally so I need to hold myself accountable.
Here are my top tips 3 tips to set boundaries for your mental health:
- Understand your boundaries before you set them. You need to figure out where you are in your day, week, month and set boundaries accordingly. There are points in your journey where you are able to be able to be more open and points where you need to sit and be sad…alone, at least for a bit. You need to set boundaries where those feelings are honored for the moment.
- Figure out how to explain boundaries. If someone violates your boundaries that you have set, you can take a moment to educate them on what your boundaries are and how they can respect them. For example, I block my work calendar from 5pm-8pm for my family time. If someone schedules me a meeting during that time, I simply educate on why I block that time for myself and how it helps me. You have to be able to communicate about it and not feel shame.
- Learn how to keep boundaries. Once you have set them, don’t flex. This is the hardest for me but it’s extremely important to protect your mental health. Going back to points 1 and 2 will help you understand WHY you need you keep the boundaries you have set.
Mental health is extremely important to your overall and physical health. Honor your emotions and set boundaries to create a healthier life….overall.