BOUNDARIES

Definition of Boundaries:
Something that indicates the farthest limit, a line which marks the limits, etc

Synonyms of Boundaries:
Border, fringe, limit, verge, brink, etc.

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs.
Readers are encouraged to click the external link for more detail.
We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

Boundary problems have been part of the difficulty in many areas of our lives. Not saying no when we needed to or not saying yes when we wanted to has led many of us into doctors’ offices, courts, jails, lost jobs, divorces, and bad marriages.

Now the inner voice of our Higher Power is showing us our limits and encouraging us to stand up for them. –Touchstones | More…

We are born into the world with free will, and we can do whatever we please.
But there are civil laws and, if we disobey them, we are at risk of losing our freedom.

The spiritual world also has laws; if we disregard them, we suffer consequences.
The difference is that we are our own judges, and our consequences are personal.

We frequently bump into these spiritual boundaries.
God lets us over-step them at will, but what we do always catches up with us.

If we break spiritual laws, no one knows it better than we do because unhappiness surely follows. Selfishness, dishonesty, and an unloving attitude guarantee misery.

Letting love direct our thoughts and actions assures our ultimate happiness. –In God’s Care/Karen Casey | More…

Boundaries are what I make of them. They are what I need them to be.
To protect myself and others, boundaries are a necessity. -Tending Dandelions/Sandra Swenson | More…

Setting boundaries in personal relationships is how we manage actions that could otherwise get out of control. One firm boundary in AA, for example, is maintaining other members’ anonymity, as well as our own.

We can protect ourselves and others by being careful to establish proper boundaries for all relationships. This means that what’s appropriate for one setting may not be for another. –Walk In Dry Places/Mel B. | More…

I now know that when I set boundaries, it is an affirmation of my worth. I am beginning to realize that it is just fine to do what is right for me, and that it doesn’t have to jeopardize any of my relationships. –One Day At A Time | More…

Many of us are skilled at denying and discounting what hurts us. We can learn to develop healthy tolerance. We do that by setting healthy boundaries and trusting ourselves to own our power with people. Some behaviors really do bug us. Some behaviors really are inappropriate, annoying, hurtful, or abusive. We don’t have to feel guilty about taking care of ourselves once we identify a boundary that needs to be set. The Language of Letting Go | More…

In your whole life, nobody has ever abused you more than you have abused yourself. And the limit of your self-abuse is exactly the limit that you will tolerate from someone else. If someone abuses you a little more than you abuse yourself, you will probably walk away from that person. But if someone abuses you a little less than you abuse yourself, you will probably stay in the relationship and tolerate it endlessly. —The 4 Agreements