4 WAYS TO SET BOUNDARIES THIS YEAR

Written By Annie Belott, M.Ed
 
 

The holiday season is over, and right about now we’re all getting into the hustle and bustle of REAL LIFE. 

It’s normal to feel stress when entering back into the swing of things, which is why prioritizing your own self-care and learning how to set meaningful boundaries will be the best present you can give yourself. 

Boundary setting is going to look different for everyone, and even look different within the individual relationships you have with friends, family members and colleagues. 

Here are some helpful ways to set some boundaries and avoid burnout: 

Understand your own limits and needs. Ask yourself:

  • What’s important to me this year?

  • What are my needs and are they being met?

  • Am I spreading myself too thin?

  • What support do I need right now?


Give yourself permission to say ‘no’

  • No need to over explain or defend your decision when turning down an invite or request

  • The events, commitments, activities that you do say ‘yes’ to will be even more meaningful! 

Use ‘I’ statements

  • An effective communication method to be clear and state your non-negotiables

  • Allows you to express yourself without blaming or misleading anyone

  • Example: “I’m feeling stressed with the amount of things on my plate right now. Would you mind taking on XYZ to help me out?”

Use ‘I’ statements

  • Take breaks when you need them!

  • Spend a day by yourself, enjoy an afternoon nap or go take a walk

  • Keep your personal routine in tact and continue to engage in the activities that bring you joy

To feel your best self this year - and not just in January -  implement boundaries that will help you the most and practice the self-care habits that will not only elevate your joy, but allow you to say NO to the February blues!

Annie Belott, M.Ed

With over nine years of experience working in academia, including university settings, Annie has worked with various student populations including individuals with disabilities, first-generation students, and student-athletes. She focuses on strategies to improve upon time management, procrastination, test anxiety, self-testing, learning styles, etc.

From 2016 to 2020, Annie worked as a Learning Skills Specialist at Georgetown University. Here she oversaw the implementation of academic support services to all students on campus, specifically individual consultations with students seeking assistance with their study habits, tutoring for foreign languages, and study skills workshops/webinars.

Annie has worked for Life Solved since the Fall of 2017 and recently transitioned to a full-time position with the company. She continues to work with students from middle school through the collegiate level to improve upon their organizational systems, test-taking and self-testing strategies, and help students create effective study schedules to make workloads manageable.

Annie has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Salisbury University and a Master’s degree in Multicultural Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin.

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