Boundaries Should be a Fact of Life

 

There is so much unfiltered sharing on social media these days that you can’t help but wonder if far too many have lost sight of the idea of boundaries.  Perhaps we should be reinforcing them more often. Free speech and expression is creative and stimulating but there should be some limits.

For years it was too restrictive and thank God that is not the case anymore. But have we swung too far to the other side?  Do people run the risk of losing the ability to withhold information about themselves and filter what comes out? 

Boundaries, whether out in the public or interpersonally, help define the parameters of who you are.  They are what you create to decide how far to let someone in close to you. Recognizing the need for them and enforcing them leads to hopefully creation of walls figuratively so true intimacy is left for very few. 

Having established boundaries is important because it empowers you to have limits you set, not the rest of the world setting them for you. It is a means to self-protection. Your private information does not need to be shared with everyone.  Some folks do not care about hurting you and having no boundaries is giving them free reign to pick and choose all they can use to hurt you whether they mean to voluntarily or involuntarily. 

Not everyone in respectful of others.  Think about that.  When someone comes to the door, do you blindly open up to just anyone? If not, then you should consider being more selective in what you share. The public at large doesn’t have a right to know your weaknesses, misgivings, your failures, etc..  These should be selectively shared with those that care or will benefit from your experiences. 

Don’t let the door wide open until you are sure what is on the other side.  Don’t share private parts of you until you have a level of comfort with the person/audience.  Once something is out there, in these days and times, it is forever out there, social media is not your best friend all the time. 

Know that everyone has had the misfortune of misjudging someone and being fooled. There is no shame in that, no reason to carry guilt but learn from it and put up those boundaries and recognize the flags the next time. 

Ask yourself what boundaries do you set?  What boundaries do those you interact with have?  And, is there a level of trust that warrants the degree of sharing you do with each person you open yourself up to?  If not, learn to hold the line!