Healthy boundaries—including emotional, sexual, financial, and physical—in your relationships, whether with family, friends, or a romantic partner, can improve not only that bond, but also your mental health. Though it might feel uncomfortable to set new boundaries in an established relationship—as opposed to early on—it’s never too late to let someone know what you need to feel comfortable. It will likely benefit you both!
Knowing What You Want is Key
Setting healthy boundaries can help you to gain a sense of empowerment, minimize codependent habits, and boost feelings of physical and emotional comfort. They’re also helpful to other people in your life, letting them know what your expectations of the relationship are and what their responsibilities are to you.
Before addressing issues in relationships, it’s important that you establish what you want and need from them. Some things you might consider are the types of traits you admire in a relationship, what makes you feel good or fulfilled, how you enjoy spending your time, and what behavior frequently bothers you.
You can then begin to think about how the behavior of others affects you and your mental health, like if someone makes you feel physically uncomfortable or disrespected or if you felt pressure to do something that made you uncomfortable.
Having the Talk
The hardest part about setting healthy boundaries in a relationship is likely addressing the issue with the person. But having a strong sense of what you need will make it easier.
When addressing relationship issues, being as clear as possible about what you need and what you don’t want are important, so writing down your points might help. Using emotionally-backed “I” statements also helps to get your point across with successful without making the other person feel defensive.
If you’re clear about what you need it will make it easier later if the person doesn’t ultimately respect your boundaries, whether by accident or habit. Setting boundaries means also enforcing consequences if they’re crossed, and knowing your limits and how willing you are to enforce them will only make your relationship stronger.
Contact VIP Ketamine
VIP Ketamine is here to support you and your mental health. To see if you are a candidate for ketamine infusions, contact our clinic today, or fill out the brief form below.