Emotional Boundaries
Written by Randi Fine, Narcissistic Abuse Expert
Narcissistic Abuse Awareness and Guidance with Randi Fine
How important are emotional boundaries in your interpersonal relationships?
You may not know what the term “boundaries” means in that context or whether the emotional boundaries in your life are healthy or not. That's not uncommon. Many suffer life long emotional pain and never know where it stems from.
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I so giving to others yet I’m always getting stepped on and/or rejected? Why don’t others ever appreciate what I do for them? Why do I always find myself being taken advantage of?” These are boundary issues.
This concept was foreign to me for the first forty years of my life. When a therapist explained to me that the problems and emotional pain I was experiencing stemmed from undefined emotional boundaries, I thought she was way off the mark. It turns out that she was right on it.
Healthy boundaries are taught to us starting from day one by our parents. Besides love, this is the most important emotional responsibility that parents have to their children. It is up to parents to teach their children how to be secure and independent adults. Parents should encourage their children with optimism and support as they go through each stage of autonomy, on their way to complete independence. Whether or not we are raised with clear and healthy emotional boundaries largely determines how happy and successful we will be in our adult lives.
So what are emotional boundaries and how do they affect our interpersonal relationships?