Latest / Inner Work With MaryAnn Walker: Life Coach for People Pleasers / 122: Boundary Setting as a Highly Sensitive Person
Transcript
- 0:20Well, hello and welcome back.
- 0:21My name is MaryAnn Walker and I'm the life coach for empath and highly sensitive people.
- 0:26And today we're going to be talking about boundaries specifically, as they pertain to highly sensitive people.
- 0:32What does it look like as you're preparing to state a boundary, how do you actually state a boundary and how do you navigate your emotions after you've stated the boundary?
- 0:40If somebody maybe is a little bit upset by what it is that you had to say, but first I want to encourage you to please subscribe to this podcast.
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- 1:18So, as I said earlier today, we're going to be talking about boundary setting as a highly sensitive person.
- 1:24There really are some unique challenges that come from boundary setting when you are a highly sensitive person.
- 1:29I'm sure that you've noticed that for some people it's like, wow, they're really good at boundary setting, but I find that for empaths and highly sensitive people, sometimes we really struggle with boundary setting.
- 1:39So I'm hoping that it can be very supportive for you.
- 1:42And if you have any questions or want me to dive deeper, of course, send me a message and let me know.
- 1:46I would.
- 1:47I love to be able to show up and love and support for you with wherever you are at.
- 1:52So to start, let's talk about what does it feel like for a highly sensitive person when they recognize that they need to state a boundary?
- 1:59Boundary setting really can be a challenge for this population, because so often when you do have such a high degree of empathy and compassion for other people, and when you're so highly attuned and highly sensitive to other people's emotional states, We feel a lot of responsibility to make sure that they're all feeling good because it directly impacts us.
- 2:18If they're sad, if they're mad if they're happy, we feel things so deeply.
- 2:22That it can be really easy for us to get lost in their emotions.
- 2:26And so sometimes what happens is we think if we can just manage their emotions, then we will start to feel better inside of us.
- 2:34And so we might not be stating a boundary because we think, well, if I say something it's going to upset them.
- 2:39So I just won't rock the boat.
- 2:41And then everything will be okay.
- 2:43So it makes sense that you want everybody to be happy.
- 2:46But because we want everybody to be happy.
- 2:48It can kind of create a little bit of discomfort for highly sensitive people when they need to state a boundary, it can create a lot of anxiety because they maybe don't know what to say or maybe create some fear of abandonment.
- 3:01Thinking, well, what happens if they're offended by my stating of boundary, I'm changing the dynamic of this relationship, what is going to happen?
- 3:08It really can stir up a lot of emotions.
- 3:11And you might even notice that you have a very visceral response in your body at the idea of stating a boundary, maybe you're experiencing tightness in your chest, or maybe your breathing is faster and more shallow.
- 3:24Maybe you find that physically you're making yourself smaller.
- 3:27You're hunching over your shoulders and kind of making yourself smaller.
- 3:30Maybe your voice is even quivering a little bit.
- 3:33So if this is you just kind of acknowledge it, become curious about it, and that could really help to shift that energy.
- 3:41You are trying something new and it can feel a little bit scary when you're trying something new.
- 3:47But here's what I really want you to think about is you already know what your life is going to be like if you don't state your boundary, because that's exactly why you're in the situation that you're currently in.
- 3:58You know what is going to happen in your life if you do not state the boundary.
- 4:03And you have probably also come to the conclusion that something needs to change.
- 4:08That this is not sustainable for you.
- 4:10And it might require a tiny bit of discomfort in order to get to the other side, but that discomfort is 100% worth it.
- 4:18And just because you might feel a little bit scared or insecure as you're stating your boundary just because you're feeling a little bit uncomfortable.
- 4:25It's still does not mean that you've made a wrong choice or that you're a bad person or that you've done anything wrong.
- 4:32It just means that you're trying something new and this is what it can sometimes feel like when you're trying something new.
- 4:39I know that for myself, there really happened a few occasions in my past where the idea of stating a boundary or even an opinion was really nerve wracking for me.
- 4:47And it would really put me into a panicked state.
- 4:50'cause, I didn't know how to navigate it.
- 4:52If the other person felt differently, if they had a different perspective.
- 4:56If they were upset by my boundary.
- 4:58I felt really insecure in that..
- 5:00And I know I'm not alone in that.
- 5:01I know that for a lot of you that are listening that fear and that anxiety can really keep you stuck.
- 5:08So, what this looks like with this population is they do not stay their boundaries right out of the gate.
- 5:13Instead, they try to see how much they can accommodate other people until they hit their breaking point.
- 5:19And once they recognize that, okay, I am so uncomfortable and this is not sustainable for me, then they decide to state their boundary.
- 5:27And creating that change.
- 5:29It can be a little bit uncomfortable in the beginning, as you're learning how to navigate things in a way that feels more natural and more authentic to you.
- 5:37So I want to share with you a few common reasons for not stating a boundary that I hear in my coaching practice..
- 5:44And honestly, I really truly could do an entire episode.
- 5:47On each of these individual thoughts.
- 5:49And if there's interest in that, I totally can do that for you.
- 5:52but for today, I'm just going to briefly go over some of the fearful thoughts that keep us stuck and I'm also going to be pairing them up with a more supportive thought.
- 6:02Okay.
- 6:02So I'm going to be sharing the limiting belief and then something else that is also true to kind of help to shake those limiting beliefs loose and create something that is more supportive for you.
- 6:12So if, as you're listening, if any of these thoughts resonate with you, take a mental note and Hey, feel free to bring it to a coaching call so that we can work through it.
- 6:21So here are a few common reasons that I hear in my practice for not stating a boundary.
- 6:26"But what if it upsets them?" Now, this is a really common one.
- 6:30We're worried that the other person is going to be upset.
- 6:33So what I want you to remember if you're thinking and being very concerned about, but what if the other person gets upset?
- 6:38I want you to remember that you are currently the one who is upset.
- 6:42You are now needing to put a boundary into place because you are currently the one who is uncomfortable.
- 6:49So if somebody is going to be uncomfortable, either way, Why not choose into the discomfort that is going to create lasting change by actually stating that boundary.
- 6:58All right.
- 6:59Another limiting belief.
- 7:00I just want to keep my head down and keep the peace." Now with this one, I want you to notice that what we're telling ourselves is that we are creating peace by not making any waves, but I also want to point out that you are currently not experiencing peace.
- 7:15Again, that discomfort that is letting you know that you need to place a boundary that is letting you know that you are not experiencing inner peace.
- 7:22So just be aware of that sneaky one, that your brain is going to say.
- 7:25If I just keep my head down, I will keep the peace.
- 7:28But really you are not creating any peace for yourself by remaining silent.
- 7:34All right.
- 7:34Another limiting belief,"their wants and needs are more important than mine." Now, there are"some situations in life where the gravity of somebody else's situation is such that you do want to intentionally prioritize their wants and needs.
- 7:50However, that is not what we are talking about here.
- 7:54What we're talking about here is when you have made it a pattern in relationship to prioritize their wants and needs when really your wants and needs are just as valid as the next persons.
- 8:06Also notice if you are essentially using this as an excuse to not state a boundary, we like to think that it is so noble and good to say, oh no, it's the good thing for me to do to prioritize them and their wants and wishes right now.
- 8:20But notice if you're using that as an excuse, so you don't have to actually state a boundary.
- 8:26Because when you're doing that, you are in fact neglecting your own self and when your own needs are neglected, it's going to lead to that anger, frustration and resentment in relationship, and that doesn't actually serve the relationship.
- 8:38So notice if you have these things sneaking in thinking that you're being the kind person.
- 8:42And then notice what emotions those actions are leading to.
- 8:46And are they actually supportive for that relationship Your wants and needs are at least as valid as the next person's and it's okay to express your wants and needs because sometimes expressing your wants and needs is the only way to bring it to the other person's attention and put it on their radar so that you can actually get your wants and needs met.
- 9:08All right.
- 9:08Another limiting belief.
- 9:10I don't know who I'll be anymore if I don't cave to their will.
- 9:13If I'm not a people pleaser, I'm probably going to become a big jerk.
- 9:16Now, this one is surprisingly common.
- 9:19It's amazing how many people that have been people pleasers their whole lives are really worried that if they state a boundary or if they tell somebody no, that they're now instantly going to become a big fat jerk.
- 9:29Now I want you to know it is super duper rare for somebody who is so highly sensitive to other people's emotional states to just suddenly swing the pendulum all the way to the other side and become a big fat jerk.
- 9:44And also sometimes it's actually the jerky thing to do to not state a boundary.
- 9:50Because not having boundaries, it's going to lead to that anger and that resentment and anger and resentment, you're going to act like a jerk through those emotions more than likely, right?
- 10:00Those emotions are there to teach you that something is not sustainable and that something needs to change.
- 10:05And addressing those before they really get really big and explosive will help you to navigate things in a bit more peaceful way and actually create more peace in relationship.
- 10:15So just be aware of that one.
- 10:18All right.
- 10:18And then the last limiting belief that we're gonna address today is,"but love and friendship means personal sacrifice." Now, this one sounds really good on the surface and really altruistic.
- 10:28Right?
- 10:29We think that, yeah, this is the right thing to do.
- 10:31We sacrifice for each other, but I also want you to ask yourself, is there a balance around the sacrifice?
- 10:38Are both parties kind of taking turns to support each other or are you actually contributing to even further imbalance in a relationship in the name of love and friendship by continuing to self sacrifice.
- 10:52And if only one person is sacrificing for the relationship, is that really love and friendship.
- 10:59Real love and real friendship creates balance and something that is more sustainable for both parties.
- 11:05So notice if there's balance and reciprocation or if you were unintentionally creating imbalance, which again is going to lead to that anger, frustration and resentment.
- 11:15So much of boundary setting is emotional regulation.
- 11:20And more than likely if you're an empath or a highly sensitive person, you've probably become very good.
- 11:25At regulating other people's emotions for them.
- 11:28But for some people regulating other people's emotions is actually the only way that they know how to regulate their own emotions.
- 11:36And that's what I see quite often in my practice is if somebody is having a hard time regulating their own emotions, they're trying to control everything outside of them so that they can feel better.
- 11:45So they're walking on eggshells so that their partner doesn't become upset and lash out at them.
- 11:49Or they're not stating boundaries.
- 11:51Everybody else is happy, but then they find themselves being angry and resentful.
- 11:55So just kind of notice if this is something that is coming up for you.
- 11:59And I also want to alleviate any shame that you might be experiencing because of this.
- 12:02It's totally normal to want people around you to be happy.
- 12:06It's totally fine.
- 12:07And guess what?
- 12:08This has worked very well for you your whole life.
- 12:11And I totally get it.
- 12:11I have been there and it worked really well for me to manage and regulate everybody else's emotions until it didn't.
- 12:20So the truth is the other people are going to do what they're going to do.
- 12:23And while we can have influence on them, we cannot control other people.
- 12:28And eventually we will have a day where the other person they're not responding in the way that we think that they should be responding when we're taking something to them.
- 12:36And then it's up to us to learn how to regulate our own emotions around that.
- 12:40I remember a time when I was really kind of struggling with regulating my own emotions.
- 12:44When I was having a conversation with somebody and they had a difference of opinion.
- 12:48And for me, I felt so much passion around the subject that their having a difference of opinion was really hard for me to navigate.
- 12:55And I found my breathing was changing and I was really having a hard time in that moment.
- 13:01But now I know with the tools that I've gained through coaching, that that was because I just didn't know how to regulate my own emotions.
- 13:08So when you learn how to regulate your own emotions, then the people outside of you, it doesn't matter what it is that they're doing.
- 13:13You can still experience internal peace, which is a really beautiful thing.
- 13:19So around emotional regulation, I want to offer up three ways that you can work to really regulate your own emotions.
- 13:25And I encourage you to do these things before you go in and state a boundary just to help to create that calm and that clarity.
- 13:32So the first tip I have for you is to breathe.
- 13:35And that sounds so simple, but trust me.
- 13:38Just breathe.
- 13:39I did an entire episode with Janna McKinney on breathwork.
- 13:42I will link that in the show notes, but one of the things that she said in there is that breath is extremely powerful in that you can tell how someone is feeling by how they are breathing.
- 13:52Our breath influences our feelings and our feelings influence our breathing.
- 13:56And so by noticing your breath, it can really help to calm those emotions.
- 14:01So if you find yourself feeling especially stressed or anxious, take some deep, slow belly breaths, breathe all the way in and you actually get bonus points.
- 14:11If you could hear your breath.
- 14:13So for example, you breathe in.
- 14:16And then as you exhale.
- 14:18Making an audible sigh.
- 14:20It can give your subconscious, the cue to relax and to calm the nervous system that it's going to be.
- 14:26Okay.
- 14:26So practice your breathing.
- 14:29All right.
- 14:29Tip number two is journal.
- 14:31See what is coming up for you, actually name your emotions, and that can help them to lose their grip on you.
- 14:37And bonus points if as you're journaling and naming your emotions, if you can actually separate out your thoughts from the facts.
- 14:45So for example, maybe you're telling yourself, well, they were quiet after I stated at my boundary, so now that means that they are mad at me.
- 14:52Now, if they did not tell you explicitly that they were mad at you, then that's just a story you might be trying to Intuit how it is that they're feeling.
- 14:59But I want you to really separate out your thoughts or your story about it from the actual facts.
- 15:04And so something more accurate might be, I stated my boundary.
- 15:08And they were quiet, period.
- 15:10End of sentence.
- 15:11And your brain is going to want to tell you that?
- 15:13Oh, well, they're mad at me.
- 15:15But it might also be true that they're just thinking, or maybe they're processing that"oh, they just stated a boundary and they've never done this before.
- 15:22I'm not sure what to do with this." Right.
- 15:24There are lots of reasons.
- 15:25Why they might be quiet.
- 15:27There could be lots of different things going on for them, but just noting that okay, but all I know for sure right now, the only facts I have are that I stated a boundary and they got quiet and you don't have to make it mean anything negative about you.
- 15:42All right.
- 15:42Tip number three for emotional processing.
- 15:44Process it in the body.
- 15:46Emotions are just a vibration in your body.
- 15:50So giving the emotion a name and then seeing how it feels in your body is a great way to process it.
- 15:56And doing this encourages us to slow it down a little bit and actually acknowledge what it is that's coming up for us because sometimes the brain and the body, they go into overload.
- 16:06Because so much is happening at once.
- 16:08So we might be experiencing fear, insecurity, pride and curiosity all at the same time, the first time that we're stating a boundary and that can feel really disorienting when you're experiencing all of those emotions at the same time.
- 16:20So really slowing it down a little bit and dedicating even just 90 seconds to each of those emotions, to get really curious about how they feel in your body can really help us to emotionally self-regulate and find a bit more calm and clarity.
- 16:35Okay.
- 16:35So now that we've talked about emotional processing, now we're going to talk about how to actually state.
- 16:41A boundary.
- 16:42Now you can state a boundary in one of two ways, you can either express your boundary verbally, or non-verbally so verbally communicating a boundary.
- 16:50It's going to be stating an if then statement.
- 16:54So you're not going to be saying"you can't do this to me" instead.
- 16:58You would be saying,"if you choose to do this, I will choose to respond in this way." So, for example, some boundaries that you might state are:"if you continue to yell at me, I will leave the room.""If you threaten my safety in the home, I will leave.""If you call me after business hours, I will not be answering the phone.""If I do not have 24 hours notice I will not be able to accommodate you.
- 17:21if you do not make an explicit request for my support, then I will just assume that you don't need me.
- 17:26And I won't be showing up." And of course the nonverbal communication, it's going to be your follow through.
- 17:32It's going to be the actions that you're going to take.
- 17:34So maybe you don't need to say anything about what's happening.
- 17:37You just decide to leave the room when you're yelled at.
- 17:41You decide to leave the unsafe space.
- 17:43You decide that you're not going to answer the phone after business hours Or that you're not going to accommodate somebody without 24 hours notice.
- 17:51And you get to decide what it is that is needed for the relationship that you are in.
- 17:55I find that for me, most of the time, I actually state a boundary verbally.
- 17:59And then from then on out, then I just let my actions do the talking.
- 18:03I don't have to keep having conversations about it.
- 18:05And that being said, sometimes you don't need to actually state your boundary at all.
- 18:09So for example, I don't need to tell anybody that if they just walk over and slap me in the face, that I'm going to leave that space and I'm going to call the police, I can just choose to do that.
- 18:19I do not have to tell them, oh, you must respect my boundary.
- 18:22I'm not going to tolerate that.
- 18:23I can just let my actions do the talking.
- 18:25But whether you choose to state the boundary verbally or non-verbally, then the follow through is key.
- 18:31Too often than people they'll state a boundary, but then rather than following through on the boundary, then they choose instead to invest their energy into telling the other person that they've crossed their boundary.
- 18:42So, for example, let's say that you've let your friend know that, okay.
- 18:45I'm not going to be answering the phone after the kids are in bed, because that's my downtime.
- 18:48That's my sacred time.
- 18:50And I need that time.
- 18:51I can't be talking on the phone after this time.
- 18:53So if after you communicate that if they call you after bedtime and you answer the phone and you tell them, Hey, you are so disrespectful.
- 19:03I told you not to call after nine o'clock.
- 19:05Then guess what?
- 19:07It's actually you, who was breaking your own boundary.
- 19:10So if you want them to respect your boundary of"me time" after the kids are in bed, it is up to you.
- 19:16To respect it and actually not pick up the phone.
- 19:19Okay.
- 19:19The responsibility is now on you.
- 19:22They're free to do whatever they want to do.
- 19:23They could call you as many times as they want and you get to choose what you're going to do about it.
- 19:27You can turn your phone off, you can just leave it there just don't answer the phone, but the follow-through is up to you.
- 19:33Remember that a boundary is an if then statement and that the follow through is key and up to you.
- 19:40Okay.
- 19:41So now that we know how to process emotions before we state a boundary and how to state a boundary, let's talk about how to navigate it.
- 19:48When somebody is upset by your stating a boundary.
- 19:51And I want you to know after you've stated your boundary, it is just as important to do your emotional processing as it was before you stated the boundary.
- 19:58Okay.
- 19:59So it's kind of like a sandwich before you state your boundary, do your emotional processing then in the middle, there's the, if then statements.
- 20:06And then if they have a negative reaction to it, do your emotional processing.
- 20:10ok, you're going to be doing that before.
- 20:12And after.
- 20:14If you are new to stating boundaries, it might take some time for everybody to adjust.
- 20:18So have some compassion for both parties there.
- 20:22It may be new for everybody.
- 20:23They might not know what to do when you stated boundary, but allow some space for grace there so that everybody can learn to adjust to these new boundaries.
- 20:32And one thing that you can really do to help to support you in this is remind yourself that the previous way of doing things, it was unsustainable for you.
- 20:39You were uncomfortable enough that you decided that you needed a state of boundary.
- 20:43Use that as information.
- 20:45When we're feeling uncomfortable after we stated the boundary, our tendency is to just let go of our boundaries and go back to how things were before.
- 20:52But remember you stated a boundary because that was not sustainable for you.
- 20:56So remind yourself why you stated your boundary and then that can really help you to just feel more at peace, even if the other person is upset.
- 21:04So think about what it is that you value and what it is that you're working to create.
- 21:10Because more than likely you set a boundary either for personal safety or to make this relationship more sustainable for you.
- 21:17Okay.
- 21:18So your brain is going to want to tell you that if they are upset about your boundary, that it's because you did it wrong or it's because you're a mean person now, right?
- 21:26You went from being super nice to super mean super quick.
- 21:28It's going to go into freak out mode.
- 21:30So remind yourself of your why, and that can help to bring you a lot more peace.
- 21:35For example, remind yourself that.
- 21:37Okay.
- 21:37I told them my boundary around how late we can hang out.
- 21:40Because I know that I'm a better friend partner parent when I'm able to budget my time accordingly.
- 21:46I told them my boundary around texting me during the Workday, because I value being able to provide for my family.
- 21:52And they're texting me during the Workday and distracting me from what it is that I'm getting paid to do.
- 21:57It might compromise that.
- 21:59And I know that that's, what's most important to me.
- 22:01Or maybe I told them my boundary around how often I can come to their home to help out.
- 22:05Because I know if I continue to go over, as often as I was, first of all, I might be enabling instead of actually helping, but also I was starting to feel resentful going over as often as I was.
- 22:16And so I value this relationship.
- 22:19And so I need to limit how much I go over there so I can limit my own burnout and my own compassion, fatigue, so I can continue to show up.
- 22:28The reason why you felt the need to state a boundary in the first place is because things were not working for you.
- 22:33And the people that really truly do care about you.
- 22:35They're going to want something that is more sustainable for you.
- 22:39And it's going to give you a significant amount of information when you see how people respond to your boundaries.
- 22:46Most people are going to be fine with it.
- 22:49And I'm going to say that again, most people are going to be just fine with their stating a boundary.
- 22:53Some people, they might struggle a little bit because it's something that they're not used to, but they will eventually come to respect your boundaries.
- 23:00Now that being said, yes, of course there are going to be some people that are not going to respect your boundaries.
- 23:07And when that happens, just use it as information so that you can decide where it is that you want to invest your time and your energy.
- 23:14I did do an episode on here a while back about how to navigate things when a relationship is complete or when you're just kind of done in that space.
- 23:23I'll post a link to that in the show notes if you do find yourself in a situation where your boundaries are not being respected and it is time to end that relationship.
- 23:31But again, I just want to reassure you that most people are good people and they also want to make the relationship sustainable.
- 23:39And so they will actually respect your boundaries.
- 23:43So, in summary, I want you to kind of think about this as a boundary setting sandwich.
- 23:48So you're going to do your emotional regulation before stating the boundary, recognizing why it is that you're going to set the boundary in the first place, recognizing what is, and is not working for you and thinking through what would my, if, then statement be?.
- 24:01Then in the middle, you're going to actually state your, if then statement.
- 24:05And remember you can do this verbally or non-verbally, but your follow through is key.
- 24:09Make sure that you are following through with what it is that you're going to do.
- 24:12It is not their job to maintain your boundary.
- 24:15It is your job to maintain your boundary.
- 24:18And then we're going to close that sandwich again with more emotional regulation and reminding yourself of your why and what is most important to you.
- 24:26When we're focusing more on what it is that we want to create, it can help to bring us a lot.
- 24:30More piece as we navigate those challenging times, but we're actually working to express our boundaries.
- 24:36Emotions are going to come up, but tuning into your body and remembering your why can help.
- 24:41So, Hey, if this brought up some questions for you, if you're recognizing that you might need a little bit more support.
- 24:47When it comes to discerning how to state a boundary or enforcing your boundary or navigating your emotions around somebody's disappointment around your boundary, come and work with me.
- 24:57I would love to work with you.
- 24:59You can find all my contact information in the show notes, but feel free to come and work with me.
- 25:03And Hey, while you were in the show notes, check out all the links to my social media.
- 25:07I would love to connect with you on more platforms and over on my social media.
- 25:11I'm able to dive into these things a little bit deeper and also create some little soundbites for things just as reminders throughout the week for what it is that you can focus on.
- 25:20So make sure you check that out as well.
- 25:22All right.
- 25:23Well, I hope you have a great week and let's talk soon.
- 25:25Bye now.