Bold in Boundaries

Welcome to The Bold Brief—

You are a member of this community of top-notch expert nurses and healthcare professionals who aspire to be “bold” in career and life.

We want to be bold in our life’s purpose and bold in life and career choices to live with authenticity, balance, and meaningful challenge.

So, bold in boundaries.

Understanding Your Boundaries

Establishing clear boundaries is not just a personal safeguard but a professional necessity. Boundaries are the guidelines or limits we set with others, which dictate acceptable behaviors, responsibilities, and actions. Boundaries help us manage how others can behave around us, ensuring our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Work-life boundaries have become more important to understand as trends of working from home, hybrid work, and gig-work have growth in the last 10 years. Also, as the global nursing and healthcare worker shortages drag onward, your personal life may be interrupted when an unexpected request to “pick up” or “come in to cover” shifts to your phone on a coveted day off. Establishing your boundaries and communicating them clearly is vital to meet your needs in life and career, especially when preventing burnout and compassion fatigue.

The Evidence on Boundaries - 3 Questions to Consider

Question 1: Are your work and life boundaries in conflict with one another?

Image your work-life boundaries as a tug-of-war between your roles, pushing and pulling across boundaries. Studies show that individuals who maintain strong personal and professional boundaries experience lower stress levels, higher job satisfaction, and better overall mental health.¹ Further, work-life conflict has been linked burnout to turnover and career dissatisfaction.²

Question 2 Are your work-life boundaries permeable?

Boundary permeability refers to how much one area mixes with another. ³ For example, permeability occurs when work tasks spill over into your personal time, making it hard to separate the two. Unfortunately, implementing flexible work and organizational support culture has not (yet) been shown to eliminate the negative effect of boundary permeability at work.

Question 3 What is your strategy for setting and communicating boundaries?

Boundary related communication, known as across-the-border (ATB) communication the primary means to manage life boundary conflict and boundary permeability. ⁴ ATB communication is one means to manage work context and life balance. Ultimately, it is vital to have effective boundary setting in life and work as it is directly linked to reduced burnout and enhanced personal efficacy, incredible vital to all nurses and healthcare professionals.⁵

5 Steps to Reform Your Boundaries

Step 1: Identify Your Current State

Identify your baseline: are your boundaries in-balance or out of balance? List specific areas where you need more space or limits, such as time for lunch breaks, uninterrupted work periods, or emotional space after challenging interactions. Reflect on recent instances where you felt overwhelmed or taken advantage of, and pinpoint what boundaries could have prevented these feelings.

Step 2: Prioritize Your Boundaries  

Not all boundaries are of equal importance. Prioritize your list based on which boundaries will have the most significant impact on your well-being and productivity. Focus first on establishing boundaries that protect your time and emotional energy in both life and work spheres.

Step 3: Define Specific Limits 

For each priority boundary, define concrete terms. For instance, "I do not answer work calls or emails after 6 PM," or "I need a 15-minute break between meetings." The more specific you are, the easier it will be to communicate and enforce these boundaries. You do not need too many rules…just get started.

Step 4: Communicate Clearly and Succinctly

Once your boundaries are defined, communicate them to the relevant people—colleagues, family, friends. Practice in the mirror stating your needs. Share, if you want, why these boundaries are necessary for your well-being and how they benefit your work and life relationships and productivity. Be firm yet respectful in your communication.

Step 5: Implementation

(a) Implement strategies to enforce your boundaries. This might include setting reminders to take breaks, turning off your phone at certain hours, or using auto-reply to messages to manage expectations regarding response times.

(b) Maintain and Adjust. Monitor the effectiveness of your boundaries over time. Are they respected? Are they effective? Be prepared to enforce them repeatedly and adjust them as your circumstances or relationships evolve. Regular review will help you maintain boundaries that are both effective and respected.

Why These Steps Work

• Personalized, Structured: These specific steps emphasize identifying and prioritizing personal needs, ensuring that that your boundaries are relevant and specifically tailored to your needs and circumstances. By focusing on the most impactful areas first, the approach promotes efficient management of personal resources, reducing feelings of being overwhelmed and enhancing overall well-being.

• Clear Communication, Practical Enforcement: Defining specific limits and communicating them (after practicing) clearly minimizes misunderstandings and sets clear expectations for others. Implementing practical enforcement strategies helps you maintain your needs and boundaries consistently, making them more effective.

• Adaptive, Responsive: Regular monitoring and adjustment of boundaries ensure they remain relevant and respected over time. This adaptability allows for continuous protection of personal space and energy, even as professional and personal dynamics evolve.

Learn More About Your Boundaries

1. Read Boundaries - When to say yes, how to say no to take control of your life (Henry Cloud) LINK

2. Take the free Work-Life Balance Quiz Link. Consider the results as you reform your boundaries.

3. Free Training: Ready to learn how to communicate boundaries without feeling guilt or pressure? Each week I offer a free life-career training. Join today to learn an evidence-based communication technique and get a copy of the script for setting workplace boundaries. Link

4. Download a free PDF of this training tool: How to Reform Your Boundaries

Conclusion

The practice of setting boundaries is key to living a balanced, fulfilling life for true happiness. You can start today by identifying one area where you can establish a new boundary and observe the positive impact it has on your well-being by the end of this week.

The bold career and life that you desire is not just a dream—it's within your reach. Let's make it a reality together.

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Remember that this is a dedicated space for you, the nurses at the bedside and beyond, the committed healthcare professionals ready to explore transformative career paths beyond traditional roles. Every week, we'll dig into evidence-based strategies, insights, and stories designed to empower you to take bold steps toward a fulfilling career and life outside the hospital setting.

1  Work–Life Balance and Mental and Physical Health among Warsaw Specialists, Managers and Entrepreneurs. Link

2  Work–Life Balance: Weighing the Importance of Work–Family and Work–Health Balance. Link

3  Blurring boundaries: Work-life balance and unbounded work in academia. The role of flexibility, organisational support and gender. Link

4  Communicating across the borders: Managing work-life boundaries through communication in various domains. Link

5  Not Able to Lead a Healthy Life When You Need It the Most: Dual Role of Lifestyle Behaviors in the Association of Blurred Work-Life Boundaries with Well-Being. Link