mental health
The importance of boundaries By Sudie Crouch | Health & wellness columnist
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e’ve often heard the saying “fences make good neighbors” but have we ever stopped to think about what that means exactly? Sure, those fences can be helpful in creating property lines but they also provide some helpful parameters, too. Fences are a physical boundary that provide privacy, seclusion, and to let people know exactly how far they can go. I’ve always appreciated fences for all of these reasons, but especially as a pet owner. When we got a new puppy last year, we expanded our fenced area so she’d have more room to play. Even though it wasn’t fancy by any means, it was sufficient, and as I surveyed the area,
20 | 400 LIFE | May 2022
I realized it made the yard somehow seem bigger. Then it dawned on me. What we think is a restriction of sorts can somehow give us more freedom. That’s what boundaries can do. When we create boundaries, we are giving people the rules and tools to know how to interact with us. But boundaries, unlike putting up a fence, are not always that easy to put in place. Creating boundaries can cause enormous guilt for many people. There’s the fear we’re letting people down — we feel obligated to others in some way and feel like we have to give in to their wants and needs.
