From Burnout to Balance: Learning to Set Boundaries for Self-Care

Due to the stress life has been throwing at me lately, I have had to sit back and think about where I can find room for myself and my needs. In my endless hours of thought, I realized I can set boundaries with situations I can control.

I have always been someone people inside and outside my family can come to for help, guidance, and problem-solving. I don’t mind most of the time and tend to be a natural at it, which is probably why I found being a therapist so easy. I had been doing it without education for years, but with my education, I had many tools in my bag to share with others.

It’s not even always family who approaches me for solutions. I tend just to be going on about my business like at the convenience store, or grocery store and random people want to walk up and tell me their story or something happening in their life. It must be my energy or my face or something. This phenomenon has fascinated my mother since I was about 11 years old, and people used to confide in me then. When I was old enough to work, I got along with folks my parent’s age better than people my age.

On top of this, I have known from a young age that I absorb other people’s emotions, and of course, now I know that we call that being empathic. So, I have had to learn to set boundaries to avoid burnout, but I manage it better now in my 40s than I did as a kid or an early adult.