Best Self Magazine

Boundary Badassery: Daring to Set Boundaries

Boundary Badassery: Daring to Set Boundaries by Nancy Levin. Photograph of a woman holding her hand up in front of the camera by Nadine Shaabana.
Photograph by Nadine Shaabana

A reformed people pleaser not only learns the profound benefits of healthy boundaries in her own life, she deconstructs and reframes them for you

A boundary is, in essence, where you end and another person begins. I define it as a limit that you set to define what you will and will not do, or what you will or will not accept or tolerate from others.

Our boundaries are all about who we are and what we want and need. Boundaries help us feel our best and make it possible for us to live the life we most desire. If you want to experience more joy and excitement in your life, it all begins with boundaries.

If you want a life of your own choice, if you want your own needs to be met more often than not, if you want the freedom to be your true self, and if you want better relationships, then you must learn to set them.

Wait a minute. Did I just say that better relationships come from better boundaries? 

This is often the first objection I hear. Turns out, most of us neglect to set boundaries in large part due to our fear that others won’t love or accept us if we do. Won’t the

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