Episode 6
Boundaries, Part 1
Aired On December 15, 2023
In this episode we define boundaries, break down the four types of boundaries, and offer examples from their lives of boundaries in practice.
Boundaries are so critical to us, they’re what inspired The Great Job! Podcast in the first place!
We define boundaries as where a person begins and ends. Boundaries are often misunderstood because they are such an abstract concept. They offer several examples of boundaries in action so we can learn to identify them more readily.
We both suggest several boundary-related books that we read to understand the concepts and then detail what Nina Brown describes as the four types of boundaries: soft boundaries, or enmeshment, rigid boundaries, squishy boundaries, and flexible boundaries.
As people, we move through each of the four types all the time as we navigate life. Each type of boundary also has the possibility to be enforced to an extreme, either too much or too little.
Maintaining a boundary is the hardest, and most meaningful, part of the process. I shared a story of upholding a boundary with my mother-in-law and how glad I am that I did because expressing our boundaries is the quickest way to banish resentment and bitterness in relationships.
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