Back in April, I posted about balance and how to find it, along with three questions to ponder. As I think more about that topic, I’ve started thinking about how we put up boundaries around our time and energy (or how we don’t) and how each of those actions impacts our mental and physical health and wellness. The questions I asked in that April post are relevant here also. Do you know your core values, and do you have them written down? What REALLY matters to you? What thing (or things) in your life can you absolutely not do without on a daily basis?
First, a quick definition. From Wikipedia: “Personal boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that a person creates to identify reasonable, safe and permissible ways for other people to behave towards them and how they will respond when someone passes those limits.” I think of boundaries not only as these guidelines or limits, but also as ways of protecting or safeguarding my time and energy. “Can you do whatever activity on whatever day?” “Ok, yes!” “No, but I could do whichever instead on a this other day.” “Not at this time, but thanks for asking.”
So protecting my own time and energy has become more of a priority as I get older (and hopefully wiser). Part of creating these boundaries relates, as I mentioned at the beginning, to knowing my core values, what matters to me, and what I can’t do without on a daily basis. To-do lists and schedules are useful. Understanding my energy levels is important. Being intentional about my time and ensuring that I have time for the things I want to get done is critical. It’s also important for me to support the people close to me (for example, my husband) and help them have their own time and space as well.
How about you? Do you set boundaries around yourself, your time, and your energy? Cheers! Here’s to your health!