By Eleanor Beeslaar
Healthy boundaries are important in all types of relationships. They open up opportunities to enhance your personal well-being, as well as your relational health. Healthy boundaries enable both you and the other person in the relationship to feel that your wants, needs, fears, and limits are being respected. When healthy boundaries are established and maintained, both people in the relationship can feel comfortable, respected, safe, and happy.
Talking about and promoting healthy boundaries is also an essential part in preventing unhealthy and abusive relationships. This involves providing people with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy boundaries, to establish and maintain healthy boundaries in their relationships, and to talk to friends, family, and community members about healthy boundaries.
In honor of Child Abuse Awareness Month and Sexual Assualt Awareness Month (SAAM), we will be sharing more information about what healthy vs. unhealthy boundaries look like, what boundaries look like in different kinds of relationships, and how to handle boundary violations. We will also be providing helpful tips about how to set healthy boundaries, as well as how to talk to children about setting boundaries.