Skip to main content

Boundaries






It is so important to draw boundaries and that is what I am learning. Life is all about relationships you build and in relationships you need to have boundaries. If you don’t have boundaries you allow people to walk all over you and that could be a cause of your unhappiness. You need to teach people how to treat you and how to respect you. You also need to treat and respect others the way you want to be treated and respected. It is a two way street.


It is important to stand up for yourself and build those boundaries. Tell people how you feel. Be honest with people without the fear of disappointing them. So you hurt their feelings? If you keep it bottled up, you are hurting yourself.


I wish I would have known this when I was going through my recoveries, when people were asking very personal questions that were none of their business. I am very much an open book, but to the right people. I am a closed book to people who are going to openly criticize my life. (I am opening up my life on here because I am hoping it will serve as a survival guide to those who suffer with mental illness not to be ashamed and not to feel alone.)


When people asked my personal business I would give them every personal detail and they would nod and smile and say cruel things about me behind my back. I actually had that very thing happen to me recently where I went over to a person’s house and they asked me how my life has been since they last saw me and I spilled my guts and they went inside and spilled their guts to a person coming over which made everyone look at me funny. Not a good feeling. But I held my head up high and maintained my dignity and learned not to do that again and built a new boundary.


You have to build boundaries. You have to know who your friends are and who your friends are not. Not everyone is your friend. Just because on Facebook you are friends, does not mean you are actually friends. You are not. Just because you work with them, does not mean you are friends. You are not. People will like your page and like your posts and talk to you out of boredom. This does not equate friendship. You need to learn the word " Aquaintance"


You can't bounce around the word friend the way people bounce around the word love these days. Friends are not easily acquired. Aquaintances are. You can have a million of those.


Friendship is someone who actually has good intentions for your life. They are people who care about your wellbeing and want you to do well and want what’s best for you. It is not just someone you socialize with because you are bored on a Tuesday night. It is someone with genuine feelings of compassion for you. Set your boundaries. Set your standards high. And treat people the way you want to be treated. This whole absent friend phenomenon that is going around Facebook, that is fine. Be an absent friend, but expect that, that is what you are going to get in return. So when you are wondering where your friends are…. Realize that is the kind of friend you are.


Good friendships develop over time, and one person should not feel like the giver and the other the taker. It should be a partnership in crime. It should be an equal friendship where you both add value to each other's life. I am developing very good friendships right now that I hope last a life time. Time will tell, but they are heading in the right direction. 


I am also seeing which ones don't really seem like a friendship and drawing a boundary. I don't care for absent friends. I want true friends. People who care about my life and add value and know my story. I have a few solid friendships, and through time I am sure I will have many more. I am definitely learning about drawing boundaries in relationships throughout it all.


 




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2016

When i was on my way to Eastern Va medical institute i distinctly remember after they let me out of the emergency vehicle and unchained me, i knelt down to tie my shoes tighter. I was preparing for a marathon. I did not know what i was gearing up for but i was gearing up! They led me into the wait room. I sat there pacing back and forth. Then started doing jumping jacks. Then push ups. Then the guy next to me started asking me questions so i started talking to him. He said he was sent here because he got in trouble for going to a party and getting busted for weed. That was the first time i questioned why i was there. They called my name and i was led to the back. They took my weight and blood pressure and then told me if anyone asks i am there for a period study. So i literally thought i was there for a period study. I was then led into a big room that was an activity room but reminded me of the tv set orange is the new black for God knows what reason... No one was in the room at t...

Don't try to date me

If you want to date me you have big shoes to fill. My ex husband was amazing and i will compare you to him and you will most likely fail. So dont try. I am not looking to date. So dont try. I am at a point in my life where i am trying very hard to focus on my career and friendships. I want to build friendships that will last a lifetime. I want to nourish them and watch them grow. I spent all of my early years chasing boys and now i am chasing girls for friendships. I want to have a group of frienda that i can lean on and count on and that can count on me. That is my goal. Dating is my last priority. So seriously if you are trying to date me don't. Chances are i am not interested. Or i maybe interested but i see your interactions with other women and that ship doesnt sail with me. I want to feel one of a kind and special. I want to feel like you picked me out of a crowded room and i was the one you pursued. If you are flirting with multiple women your chances are zero. I am not...

The Power of a Testimony

Its hard to understand why i am going through what i am going through right now. For the past 3 years things have only been going up for me and i have only been getting stronger. I have been hit with some pretty hard turbulence this year that couldve made my life rocky and hard but instead i allowed it to mold me and shape me into a stronger person. Every thing was going so well.... Then Monday hit, and it hit me hard. Like a bulldozer carrying thousands of pounds of wet concrete ready to pour over my life and bury me alive. It broke me down. It tore into me like i havent experienced in a very long time. I cried out to God. I didnt blame Him, instead i praised Him. I thanked Him for my life but i asked Him why is this happening to me? Then i read the story of Job. You see, my blogs would be pointless and serve absolutely no purpose if i didnt go through my fair share of trials too. Mental illness does not mean smooth sailing. There is no magic pill and then you are cured of every ail...