Do any of these situations sound familiar? Don't mind me: The way the desks are arranged I’m in the path of conversation. People regularly and literally talk over me. Has no inner voice: The person in front of me will just blurt out her question for anyone at any time. Get to the point: My neighbor can’t tell a short story. And then she’ll repeat the whole thing for the next person. The chewer: Two cubicles away is a gum chewer. I have to get up and go for a walk when he star

My new favorite litmus test for boundaries is: “Does it drain you?” It works on so many fronts! I’ve always just sort of accepted that uneasy feeling after I’ve been with someone who makes me anxious or tired or puts me in a bad mood. “Did I do something wrong?” I thought to myself. Well I’m happy to say no. Most of the time anyway. I’ve just been weak on boundaries for much of my life and the time has come to take them back. From my children and family members to coworkers a

My youngest son has this way of following me wherever I go when he wants something, which includes standing outside the bathroom door when I need a moment to myself. Interestingly enough he’s good about not interrupting me when I’m talking to someone else, but the bathroom is another matter. It’s a good example of stepping over a very clear boundary. I’m pretty sure he’s not the only child who does this! I’ve talked to him a few times about the importance of respecting Other

When everything in your life seems chaotic and you’ve come uncentered, when you’re overwhelmed from the simplest of tasks, or when nothing seems to work right, stop what you’re doing. Here’s some good news: there’s a fix! As we all know and quite possibly have spent years learning, the only thing we can control is ourselves. When you’re ready, ask yourself, “What can I do at this moment to find my center?” Here are ten free and quick ways to de-stress: Meditate: If you have

One of the benefits of my divorce last year was realizing that I am weak on boundaries. I could go so far as to say I didn’t have any. After twelve years of trying to make the marriage work I was pretty much all over the map with my feelings and actions. I’ve since regrouped and for the first time have a clear understanding of my emotions and how to deal with them. Here is what I’ve learned so far: I recently broke up with my boyfriend. Even though he is a wonderful person, h