Self-love is not always soft. While gentle compassion is necessary for achieving your goals, so is assertiveness. To truly love yourself, it is important to set boundaries and make decisions that align with your values and goals. This means taking care of your physical and mental well-being while having the courage to make changes that will improve your life. Remember, self-love is a balance of being gentle and firm, and both are essential for your overall happiness and fulfillment.
Boundaries protect and preserve the quality of your life. They are guardrails that not only shape how you interact with yourself and your world. Having well-defined boundaries makes it easier to stick to them, and journaling can be a helpful tool in establishing these boundaries. Here are 10 prompts to get you started on your boundary-setting journey:
Write down situations or people that have caused you stress or discomfort in the past.
Consider what you need in terms of time, space, and energy to feel replenished.
Reflect on past experiences where you compromised your values or beliefs.
Identify habits or behaviors that no longer serve you and that you want to change.
What are you having difficulty saying "no" to? What could be the consequences of denying a request?
What are your top three priorities in life? For each one, identify a way to prioritize it.
Can you recall a situation where you felt disrespected? How was communication handled before, during, and after the situation?
What would be the initial five regulations in a personal relationship code of conduct, if you were to create one?
What are the unalterable standards you have in a romantic relationship?
Do you have a personal mantra? How have you recently demonstrated this principle in your actions?
What is something you wish you could do more frequently? What obstacles are preventing you from doing so?
What is an activity you wish you could do less often? How can you set up barriers to prevent engaging in it?
Make a list of ten actions you would like to complete in an ideal week, and make a goal to carry out at least one of them on a weekly basis.