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Setting Limits
What do I define as limits, and why should we set them? Limits are those lines we don’t cross personally or don’t let others ignore with us. They can be at work in a professional sense or at home in a personal sense.
Limits are essential as they help us to keep control of our lives. Boundaries allow us to define behaviour and expectations that we agree to and ask those we interact with to do so. We need to set limits so that we can create safe and happy spaces for ourselves.
Some limits might be:
- I will finish work at 6 pm
- We will not allow electronics at the dinner table
- I will not let you talk to me in a rude manner (this one is both professional and personal)
Understand our why
When we decide on these limits, it is good to be clear on our whys. This way, when people push us on them, we know when to flex and when to hold our line.
For me, the work hours are arbitrary. I work from home as a consultant. I set my hours, so working late is a choice. My preference is to move to my office once my youngest child goes to school. I try to make sure I have a lunch break (again away from my desk). I base my end time on what is due tomorrow.
If I have sat at my desk and been productive most of the day, I finish at dinner…
