Boundaries are important for us.

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They help us to know what is acceptable, or not.

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What feels right in the moment, or not.

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Keeping clean boundaries with others serves us in so many ways.

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To know our 'Yeses' and our 'Nos' clearly keeps us in integrity with others.

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Yet we often overlook that the most important boundaries are not with other people.

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They are ones we keep with ourselves.

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For when we violate our own boundaries we can create challenges for ourselves and others.

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We can find ourselves over-stepping our own lines, and losing ourselves in the moment.

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By doing what we are doing mindlessly.

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Such as over-eating, doom scrolling, or binge watching a new show.

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Rather than taking care of our true needs, like rest or being healthy, we give in to immediate desires to our own detriment.

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It can take us out of presence and away from the people who are right in front of us.

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Then we feel bad.

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We blame ourselves and criticize ourselves, compounding the situation.

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If instead we cultivate compassion and love for ourselves, we can learn to have more discipline because we honestly want to take better care of ourselves.

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And by taking better care of ourselves, we show up better to those around us.

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They will actually appreciate the boundaries we set, both with them and with ourselves.

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Even if at first they are uncomfortable.

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Clean boundaries serve everyone.

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The ones with ourselves, most of all.

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So is there a place in your life where your boundaries with yourself can be better?

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~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant

Host of The Conscious Consultant Hour