The Basics of Boundaries

A boundary sets up the rules of the road for you and others to follow in order to coexist. Boundaries can be hard and fast, or they can be flexible and change with the environment and over time. Boundaries are sometimes confused with setting up walls designed to protect and cut yourself off from the outside world, but Jenn Kennedy, LMFT, a marriage and family counselor based in California, says that boundaries are really about creating safety, fairness, and self-respect, not hemming yourself in.