Strong
Relationships Balance Intimate Openness with Respectful Limits
When I was a little girl, the rules in our
house were that everyone must be seen and not heard. I was considered “too
sensitive”. I was encouraged not to cry and to keep my “opinions to myself”. It
wasn’t okay to ask too many questions, or talk about interpersonal dissatisfaction, “be grateful for what you are given and keep your mouth shut”. Instead, I learned that
others' needs were more important than my own desires, that it was impolite to
share my own experiences, and that it was dangerous to let others know what I
really thought and felt. Many people seem to
have grown up with similar dysfunctional family values -- one reason that
boundaries are a favorite topic of psychotherapists. Balancing openness, intimacy, and limits
while owning our own "stuff" and letting others own theirs, are the
hallmarks of the good boundaries required in solid interpersonal interactions. Learning to form strong
relationships that are healthy in emotional intimacy and open in clear,
respectful communication is not a trait that seems to be coded in our DNA --
we've got to be taught. Therapy clients
are frequently assisted in being open with their feelings without being
manipulative, and to grow a strong enough sense of self to stay no when
appropriate.
Porous
Boundaries and Unhealthy Walls
For the
sake of confidentiality, I will share examples which are common but these examples
are not related to any particular person. The names are just names I like. Beth’s relationship
problems revolved around over-compensating for feeling unworthy and flawed. Believing
she was unacceptable and unlovable, she had trouble setting her own boundaries
for fear that friends would walk away if she asserted her needs. Once in a while, though, Beth found herself
using her emotions to manipulate others into getting what she wanted, and
thereby breached others' boundaries in the process. She resorted to this tactic
because she didn't believe she would be accepted if she directly stated her own
preferences. Her porous boundaries left Beth without a strong central sense of self.
Open communication doesn’t
automatically assume that the other person is at fault. Speaking up for yourself is essential, and it's
necessary to listen carefully, too. Voicing and checking out assumptions and
perceptions, avoiding easy and harsh judgments, and being discerning in your conclusions are all part of open
communication. This is hard work. It’s
difficult not to place blame or take things personally, and to approach situations
honestly with beginner’s mind, always willing to see things in a different
light when appropriate. It helps to be
transparent and explicit in communication.
Don't assume that the
other person will see things as you do. Take
risks in opening up. When allowing the possibility
that we are wrong in our viewpoint, the challenging skill of self-reflection becomes
necessary. This can be learned,
but we must practice it daily for it to be effective. These are the essential
steps in establishing good boundaries, personal balance and relational intimacy. The loneliness Diane sought to heal in counseling stemmed from
protecting herself in friendships by building thick emotional walls that kept
people from getting too close. Afraid of
rejection and judgment, she sabotaged several relationships with this strategy
designed to keep from getting hurt. Not able to risk being interpersonally vulnerable, she kept people at arm's length, and made them work
hard to get to know the real her -- an effort that most didn't bother to make. The unhealthy walls that Diane hid behind
robbed her of gaining the intimacy in friendships that she craved.
Holding
Respectful Limits In
order to hold respectful limits, we first must treat ourselves and others as if
we all have value. This starts with believing
that the way we feel and think is in fact very important. Respect for self and other can be practiced
by never saying things to yourself that you would never say to another person,
and vice versa – such as “You don’t deserve to be happy,” or "What you
want doesn't matter." When Juana
learned and began to practice this, her relationships improved.
Limiting negative self-talk
and other-judgments plants seeds of clean boundaries rooted in a clear
understanding that we are all responsible for the ways we behave. We are not responsible, however, for the ways
others behave or how they feel. Each of
us must establish our own limits that protect ourselves without harming others. At times we might think
that being respectful requires allowing others to walk all over us. Conversely, we may think that since others
don’t respect us, we don’t need to respect them. Both these attitudes sabotage
relationships. Good boundaries strike a
middle path of balance.
Engaging
in Open Communication Beyond saying what you
mean, asserting your needs and owning your feelings, engaging in open
communication requires creating a space in your life for someone else. To do
this we must be willing to be open and honest in discussing the details of our
relationships. When things are going smoothly this isn’t too hard. But when troubles or
misunderstandings come, as they invariably do, we must be prepared to share our
thoughts and feelings. Hiding or burying
feelings, assumptions, perceptions, and needs under a blanket of self–effacement
or recrimination may seem self-protective but in reality, it's poor boundary
maintenance. When Diane learned this
crucial principle, and began to share her thoughts and feelings more freely,
her relationships improved.
“I” statements -- like
“I feel hurt by what's happened here”, or “I feel we need to talk this out so
that it doesn’t build resentments that can linger for years and turn into a
full scale grudge” -- put voice to self-reflection and boundaries. They help us admit our own part in the
situation and serve to courageously address the problems.
Keeping clean
boundaries and having respectful, open communication are ongoing efforts that
require allowing others to be themselves without compromising yourself in the
process. These relationship maintenance
skills take care of yourself first by being authentic, while also being caring of
others as well. Better boundaries can improve your
relationships. Please contact me, LeAnn O'Neal Berger, psychotherapist and relationship coach, today to find out how you can be assertive and
open in communicating your needs to others. |