Each month I host a free 'Journaling for well-being' workshop. It's 30 minutes of support and inspiration for your journaling practice. We focus on two techniques:
1 - Wild writing, a free-style journaling method.
2 - Utilising guided prompts around a particular theme.
The theme for the session was 'relationship connections and boundaries'.
In May, we covered the theme of boundary-setting, an essential component for managing your well-being and self care. Boundaries are those personal preferences that enable you to thrive in your life, at work and in your relationships too.
Many of us have been socialised to care for others as a priority which makes setting boundaries really difficult, especially with people we’re in a relationship with.
A healthy boundary within your relationship helps you feel seen, heard and respected. Respecting another persons boundaries is a true point of connection; it helps to develop a relationship of integrity, honesty and authenticity. Rather than thinking ‘how can I keep this person out?’, it’s thinking ‘I can I let my true self be seen?. with this boundary.
Brene Brown defines boundaries as ‘what’s okay and what is not okay'.
Before we can communicate a boundary, we need to identify ‘what is okay and what is not okay’ within our own lives.
Try these prompts to reflect on your own relationship (s) and what boundaries could help you establish a deeper level of connection.
Who are the people in your life who energise and inspire you?
Who do you notice drains your energy and leaves you feeling depleted?
What do you notice to be the difference between these two groups of people?
Who do you know that has well-established and clear boundaries? and how do you feel when they communicate a boundary to you?
What boundaries of yours often get stepped on, go unnoticed or violated in your relationships?
What could you say to someone, the next time this happens?
What boundaries, within your relationships, do you think would help you feel more empowered right now?
Think of a connection you want to nurture. What boundaries could help you feel closer to this person?
Write yourself an intention for this week with regards to your relationships.
A fantastic resource for exploring your relationships is the Esther Perel (psychotherapist) podcast ‘Where should we begin?’ Every Monday morning Esther releases a new episode which allows you to listen in as real people bare the raw, intimate, and profound details of their stories. From breakups and open relationships to workplace conflicts and fractures in the family, it’s a place to learn about how to deal with and manage your own relationship challenges.
If you find these prompts useful, why not come along to one of my free journaling workshops which take place monthly throughout the year - the details can be found here.
Alternatively, you can download my free journaling toolkit to get your started.