Top 3 Tips for Setting Boundaries as an Empath

Last week, I talked about some of the ways in which you will know you are an Empath (someone who takes on and feels the emotions of others as if they were your own) and as a Psychic Medium, Intuitive who is a highly sensitive person and fellow empath (whew!), I can tell you the most life altering change I’ve made in my life has been learning what a boundary is. What it can look like and how it can show up. The subject of boundaries have been showing up EVERYWHERE lately. Whether in my own life or in my clients. As a medium, I am very aware of patterns and cycles in the collective energy. Right now - It's Boundaries!

Here are the Top 3 Tips for setting Boundaries as an Empath:

Understanding What a Boundary actually means.

What's a boundary anyway? Why is it so important? A boundary is a guideline, rule and/or a limit that establishes what is safe and/or reasonable for an individual, a relationship, an organization and/or a society. I truly believe that we all are here to evolve and grow. The key to unlocking more growth in our individual lives and society at large is learning to set boundaries. Boundaries are absolutely necessary to personal growth. How are we to ever follow our dreams and step into the most authentic expression of ourselves if we are following down a road that isn’t ours and taking paths that don’t feel right for us? The answer is we can’t. 

Understanding When you need to set a Boundary.

One way in which I have come to recognize when I need to set a boundary is that I feel it physically in my body.  It feels uncomfortable often it comes in with both a physical and mental sensation of discomfort. I tend to feel some tension in my stomach and chest and I start to ruminate mentally.  I begin to play out conversations in my head of how I could say no or escape the situation, I will start to rant in my head about how frustrated I am. This is a clear signpost someone has triggered a space in which you need to set or get firm on a boundary!

Understanding Ways in which you can empower yourself to set a Boundary.

The need to set a boundary can come up in multiple ways in your life. You may recognize the need to do so in your interactions with others at home, socially or in your workplace but we also need to learn to set boundaries with ourselves. I believe we are powerfully co-creating our own lives. We are in the driver's seat. And we must take responsibility, grab the wheel and go our own way. For me personally, I have become painfully aware of how often I have kept myself small or stuck in a particularly unpleasant situation because I was terrified of having to take responsibility and be honest with myself. An example of setting a boundary with myself in my life, is following through with an uninteresting task or one that I perceive as challenging. As a woman living with ADHD, I find it extremely challenging to start and stay focused on anything that does not interest me in that particular moment. I can hyper focus till the cows come home writing content like this blog and recording podcasts for our podcast Soul Rising, but ask me to work on video editing or filing paperwork and I would rather pull out my own teeth. Those things still have to be done and I’ve actually discovered through experience (aka forcing myself to do those things) that it actually feels super fulfilling to check off those challenging tasks. Setting boundaries with yourself is extremely important for your own personal growth and it fosters a trust in yourself. My Guides once said to me “Every time you say yes, when you want to say no, you betray yourself. ”WOWSA…can you say OUCH?! But friends, it is absolutely the truth.

Setting boundaries isn’t always easy. Often it's extremely difficult and the last thing we want to do. But it gets easier every single time you do. You become more confident and more fulfilled. Setting a boundary is keeping a promise to yourself. A promise to your Soul and the life you came here to live. Only you can live the life you came here to live. You can’t do that following someone else's path. Boundaries are an act of love for you and the people in your life.