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assertiveness

Establishing Healthy Boundaries

By assertiveness, healthy boundaries No Comments


One cannot address the issues of stress without looking closely at the concept of healthy boundaries, and sadly, there seems to be a dearth of healthy boundaries in the American culture today. This, in turn, creates a negative feedback loop that increases levels of personal (and planetary) stress. Healthy boundaries are appropriate behavioral limits to daily activities, from eating to shopping to watching television. Basically all aspects of our lives. Poor healthy boundaries range from ignoring personal guidelines to a complete apathy about one’s level of health. The whole economic collapse is a prime example of poor boundaries (with a lot of greed thrown in). Today infractions of healthy boundaries can be seen just about everywhere: using cell phones in movie theaters, shopping with credit cards when there is no money to pay the bills, hours upon hours of internet surfing, incessant whining, (also known as victimization) and poor eating behaviors top the list, but there are hundreds more. Even the war on terrorism has no boundaries! Addressing the issue of healthy boundaries to decrease one’s levels of personal stress begins with a strong degree of assertiveness: creating a healthy boundary… and then employing your will power to honor it.

• Stress Tip for the Day:
Is there an area in your life you feel the need to pull the reins in on? Perhaps there are several. Pick one area and set a goal. Write it down on a yellow sticky note and post it in places where you will see it several times a day. If need be, ask your spouse, friend or family member to help you. Creating a healthy boundary and the enforcing it is a skill, which may need lots of practice until it becomes second nature.

• Links Worth Noting:
This link promotes a new documentary movie inspired by Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth. The movie is called “Home.”
http://www.home-2009.com/us/index.html

• Photo of the Day:
Even rivers have healthy boundaries (until, of course, they flood their banks). These three rivers where photographed (while I was in a helicopter ride) as water cascaded down the side of Kauai’s dormant volcano crater.

• Quote for the Day:
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you’re just sitting there!”
— Will Rogers

Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing and stress and human spirituality. He is the author of over 10 books including the bestsellers, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water, Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward, The Art of Calm, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart and Managing Stress (6E). He can be reached through his website:www.brianlukeseaward.net

© Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D.