Setting healthy boundaries is necessary for mental health and overall well-being. Mental health includes
our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps
determine how we handle overall life stressors. A boundary can be defined as “a real or imagined line
that marks the edge of limit of something.” Another definition commonly used is, “the limit of what
someone considers to be acceptable behavior.” Boundaries are vital to maintaining a balance mental
health as well as healthy relationships. Healthy boundaries define what is appropriate behavior in our
relationships and keeps both parties safe. Healthy boundaries serve to: • Encourage autonomy and
reduce codependent habits. • Set expectations when interacting with others. • Give us a sense of
empowerment and self-respect. • Ensure our physical and emotional comfort. • Clarify individual
responsibilities in our relationships. • Separate our wants, needs, thoughts, and feelings from those of
others. Without healthy boundaries, our relationships can become toxic and unsatisfying, and our well-
being can suffer. This training will provide fundamental information about the importance of setting
healthy boundaries for mental health. It will help identify the different types of boundaries and how to
develop them with self and with others. Additionally, it will highlight the psychological, emotional,
spiritual, and physical benefits of implementing and maintaining healthy boundaries. Lastly, the training
aims at identifying some of the reasons why so many people feel compelled to say “Yes” to everything,
while negating their own wants and needs. This can relate to common issues such as low self-esteem,
need for approval, codependent behavior, fear of rejection or criticism. Recognizing and setting healthy
boundaries comes from a place of respect and love. Boundaries also promote safety in relationships.
Setting healthy boundaries, although challenging, promotes overall mental, spiritual, and physical well-
being.

Bibliography Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, April 25).
About Mental Health. About Mental Health (cdc.gov) Cloud, H., & Townsend, J. (2017).
Boundaries (2nd ed.). Zondervan. Nash, J. (2018, January 5).
How to Set Healthy Boundaries & Build Positive Relationships. How to Set Healthy Boundaries & Build
Positive Relationships (positivepsychology.com)