Using boundaries to protect your well-being after divorce

After your divorce, establishing boundaries becomes more important than ever before. You may encounter people who pester you with questions about your relationship. You may feel some lingering obligation to your former partner. You may question your decision.

Separating yourself from draining emotions can allow you the space to recover and identify new goals for your life. Boundaries allow you to continue living your life without other people taking advantage of you.

Tune in to self-awareness

Divorce unearths lots of deep and heavy emotions. You may find it difficult to decipher your needs and take care of yourself when there is so much else going on. Psych Central recommends practicing self-awareness. This concept requires you to analyze how you feel to identify what needs to change moving forward so you can protect yourself.

Self-awareness used in conjunction with self-care can help you rediscover your goals and ambitions for your future. Other ways to establish boundaries include the following:

• Be honest
• Be assertive
• Know your limits
• Ask for help

Tune out manipulation

Considering that your marriage just ended, you may find yourself the victim of relentless manipulation especially if your former spouse has narcissistic tendencies. Manipulation can cloud your ability to decipher the truth and create doubt and confusion. Understand what manipulation looks and sounds like so you can distance yourself from such behavior.

One way you can do this is to establish designated times to discuss your divorce with your soon-to-be-ex. Make it clear that outside of those times you are unavailable to talk. This will allow you ample time to focus on rebuilding yourself.