Skip to main content

Boundaries and Caring-Life Balance

 


A saying by psychologist author Adam Grant caught my attention-

"Sometimes you have to let others down to uphold your boundaries."


It's true. People have expectations of us--sometimes too many.

Trying to please others can sap the energy we need for our priorities. Of course, we can only be aware of the loss of energy for our priorities if we have clear priorities.

After deciding on our priorities, we may have to deal with the fact that some people are so focused on their personal projects that they do not consider our boundaries. 

Fortunately, some are sensitive and will both recognize and respect our boundaries when they are made aware. A simple note and an offer to reschedule can be enough.

Unfortunately, some do not respect our boundaries. Guilt may appear when relationships end abruptly. Former friends are lost.

Finding the right balance between caring for others and having a life isn't easy.

Saying "No" and accepting an others' "No" can promote well-being when the "No" is required to pursue a personal goal, take a needed rest, or enjoy an activity that restores our soul.

All around us are people with incredible needs for help and comfort. Many are sick. Many are recently bereaved. Many are poor. Caring is in constant demand. Good people are expected to care. And that's a good thing. Selfish inflexible people are on the path to loneliness. I want to add a "however."

Maintaining boundaries can reflect

a healthy caring-life balance

 allowing the carer to be more caring.

Spirituality

Good works are often a part of religious practice. Of course, one need not be religious to do good works. Some may express their spirituality in caring for others. Loving and caring for one's neighbors are vital to healthy communities. 

In the first century, Mark wrote about times when Jesus of Nazareth, took a break from ministering to the crowds. On one occasion (Mark 6) Jesus and his team were so busy they hadn't eaten so he told them to take a break. A little later, he took a break from everyone just to be alone.

Regardless of faith or no faith, people motivated by compassion can benefit from the example of the young Jewish man whose life continues to inspire over 2 billion people today. 

When the expectations of others reach a certain point. Recognize the need to take a break.

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EASTER: VARIATIONS IN BELIEF

Differences in Religious & Spiritual Beliefs Relevant to the Easter Story By Geoffrey W. Sutton, Ph.D. at suttong.com Like most Christians, my wife and I attend an Easter Service. And, a s usual, the media rise to the Spring occasion with Bible stories, comments from various religious leaders and a few atheists—just to keep things balanced. Other religions are on the back burner until Monday. So many statements of beliefs come from the Easter events.  For now, here’s a sample of some core beliefs from various sources. God: 51% believe in God as in the Bible Statista (May, 2023) reported US belief "in God as described in holy scriptures" at 51%. Another 22% reported a belief in a higher power or spirit. Pew researchers from 2021 find 58% believe in God as described in the Bible and another 32% believe in a God or Higher Power.  Belief in God is obviously a core belief. U.S. belief has declined to 58% having no doubt God exists and another 17% have do...
Post a Comment
Read more

9 Beliefs of Christian Counselors

Updated 26 Feb 2018 What Christian Counselors Believe, Value, and Practice Part I: Beliefs I once asked a conservative evangelical Christian Chaplain how he handled counseling when he was pretty sure a dying patient was not a Christian and, according to his tradition, would soon spend eternity in hell. He sincerely said he would have to think about that question. A female health care provider told me she switched jobs so she could work with children rather than seniors, because she believed that, unlike the elderly, children would go to heaven if they died. In this case, her Christian beliefs appeared to have a cause -effect influence on her career. Counselors normally focus on the needs of clients and help clients find solutions in a supportive setting. Theoretically, rapport ought to be enhanced when counselors and clients share common values and beliefs.  Why ask what Christian Counselors Believe? The primary reason ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Turing Test and Chat Psychotherapy 2025

  Where are we now? The Turing Test, originally called the "Imitation Game," is a concept proposed by Alan Turing in 1950 to address the question, "Can machines think?". Instead of trying to define the complex notion of "thinking," Turing suggested a practical test to determine whether a machine could exhibit behavior indistinguishable from that of a human (Vation Ventures.com). How it works Participants: Three individuals participate: The Interrogator (Judge): A human whose goal is to determine which of the other two participants is human and which is a machine. Human Participant: A human who aims to convince the interrogator that they are human. Machine Participant: A computer program that strives to imitate human conversation and responses so effectively that the interrogator cannot reliably distinguish it from the human participant. Communication : All three participants are isolated from each other and communicate solely through a text-based interf...
Post a Comment
Read more