Setting boundaries and respecting them are two of the most powerful skills you can learn in life. A lot of your personal, financial, and professional problems could probably be boiled down to some boundary issue. I can give you an example. I won’t name names but, let’s just say that one of my family members is romantically involved with a very toxic person. That family member wants me to have a relationship with his toxic partner, but being around her leaves me feeling depressed, anxious, and angry. For so long, I wanted to make my family member happy, so I tried to make an effort to spend time with his partner. But you know what? I had to set a boundary. I won’t be around that person’s toxic partner anymore. He chose her, and that’s fine if he wants that toxicity in his life. But I don’t have to allow it into mine. The solution there, as you can see, wasn’t breaking those two people up—it was setting my own boundary. So many problems can be solved by setting boundaries. Here are things to remember, as you strive to set more boundaries.
Remember someone else can help
You aren’t the only person in the world who can help this friend move, or find this friend a job, or babysit that family member’s child. If you’re at your wit’s end and helping this person will put you over the edge, remember she can just ask someone else.