55 Boundaries Journal Prompts You NEED To Use
You need to use these boundaries journal prompts if you want to get things done without going through cycles of go-go-go and burnout or having people walk all over you.
As a Mindset and Productivity Coach for perfectionists, boundary setting is a BIG problem that my clients have in their work and personal lives. Often, perfectionists tend to overcommit, have ridiculously high standards, neglect their self-care and burn themselves out trying to please everyone else but themselves.
It’s exhausting!
This is why I have created this bank of journal prompts to help you increase your self-awareness and get ish done without losing yourself in the process.
These boundaries are mainly centred around improving your productivity in general but also touch on relationships and self-care.
What are boundaries?
Boundaries are the personal limits or rules that cover what you are comfortable with and how you expect others to treat you.
More specifically the Cambridge Dictionary defines boundaries as ‘the limit of what someone considers to be acceptable behaviour’
They are designed to protect your emotional, mental and physical wellbeing so that you remain safe and secure. YOU define your boundaries however you can’t force other people to respect them. It’s down to you to respect your own boundaries by communicating your limit and/or walking away.
Simply put, you decide what you will and won’t put up with. The more you respect yourself and maintain your boundaries the more your confidence and sense of self-worth will increase.
Each time you do it, you remind yourself that you matter.
Boundaries can be:
- Physical: defining your personal space and physical interactions
- Emotional: regulating your feelings and protecting your emotional energy
- Mental: protecting your thoughts and opinions
Why are boundaries important for perfectionists?
Learning how to set boundaries is a very important part of the perfectionist healing journey. So many of my clients struggle to set boundaries which results in them overcommitting, comparing themselves to others and procrastinating on tasks.
The desire to meet unrealistic high standards and not let other people down often leads to burnout, stress and frustration. This is why boundaries are super important. I want you to be successful in your life without having a breakdown in a process.
Here are some common reasons why perfectionists struggle with setting boundaries:
- Fear of failure
- Fear of disappointing others
- Unrealistic high standards
- Tying your self-worth to your career and achievements
- Procrastination habit
These are a few of my reasons why you NEED boundaries
- Prevents burnout
- Protects your self-worth
- Helps you focus on your values-driven goals
- Acknowledges your needs
- Reduces feelings of overwhelm
- Improves your relationships with others
What types of boundaries should you set?
You need to learn how to set boundaries in different areas of your life if you want to grow and develop into the most self-actualised version of yourself.
Here are the ones I think are ESPECIALLY important for perfectionists to work on:
- Workload boundaries: managing your workload by being realistic about what you can achieve in one day and delegating tasks when necessary. Also, workload boundaries are limits on the amount and type of work you will take on.
- Self-care boundaries: prioritising your self-care routines through all seasons of your life – even busy seasons! Basically, don’t skip that yoga class!
- Time boundaries: allocate specific time in your life to do certain activities so that you have a balanced and realistic schedule
- Task completion boundaries: having clear criteria for when work is completed and not obsessing over the tiny non-important details
- Comparison boundaries: not comparing yourself negatively to other people and instead developing a growth mindset
- Feedback boundaries: Choose carefully who you will take advice from and do not just take on any random person’s ideas about how you should behave. Also, critically evaluating each piece of feedback.
- Relationship boundaries: deciding how you will engage with others in your personal and professional life
Journal prompts
1. Workload
- What tasks in my workload cause me the most stress, and how can I set boundaries to manage them better?
- How do I feel when I take on too much? What boundaries could prevent this?
- What is one thing I could delegate or say no to, in order to protect my time and energy?
- How do I balance my high standards with the need to manage my workload effectively?
- What can I do to ensure I don’t overcommit to tasks out of a fear of disappointing others?
2. Self-care
- What self-care practices am I currently neglecting, and how can I make time for them?
- How do I respond when others’ needs interfere with my self-care? What boundaries could help protect this time?
- How can I communicate to others the importance of my self-care routines without feeling guilty?
- What is one boundary I could set to ensure I prioritise my mental and physical health?
- How does neglecting self-care impact my performance, relationships, and wellbeing?
Related Post: 9 Realistic Ways To Have A Guilt-Free Self-Care Day
3. Time
- What activities tend to drain my time and energy? How can I set boundaries to limit them?
- How do I feel about saying no to social invitations or commitments that don’t align with my priorities?
- What is one time-related boundary I need to set to improve my work-life balance?
- How can I create more intentional time for myself each day, free from distractions?
- What fears do I have about setting time boundaries, and how can I overcome them?
- Do I need to cut down on my digital consumption?
Related Post: What Is The Difference Between Time Blocking And Task Batching?
4. Task completion
- How do I define success for a task? How could I adjust my expectations to encourage healthier boundaries?
- What perfectionist tendencies cause me to spend too much time on tasks? What boundary could help me avoid this?
- How can I set time limits for task completion without feeling anxious about the results?
- When have I struggled to complete a task because I was overly focused on perfection? What boundary would have helped?
- How do I feel when a task is ‘good enough,’ and how can I use this feeling to set realistic boundaries?
5. Comparison
- How often do I compare myself to others, and how does this impact my self-esteem?
- What boundaries could help me focus on my own progress instead of comparing myself to others?
- How do I feel when I see others’ successes online or in person? What boundary can protect my mental health in these moments?
- How can I shift my mindset from comparison to self-compassion and set boundaries around triggers that lead to comparison?
- What practices or habits help me stay focused on my own journey rather than measuring myself against others?
6. Feedback
- How do I react to feedback, and what boundaries do I need to protect my self-worth when receiving criticism?
- What is one example of feedback that impacted me deeply? How could a boundary have helped me respond more healthily?
- How can I create boundaries that allow me to learn from feedback without letting it define my value or worth?
- What do I need to remind myself when I feel overly sensitive to criticism?
- How can I separate constructive feedback from unfair or unhelpful criticism, and what boundary could I set to prevent the latter from affecting me?
7. Relationship
- What relationship in my life needs clearer boundaries, and why?
- How do I feel when I prioritise others’ needs over my own in relationships? What boundary could help create more balance?
- How can I communicate my boundaries in a relationship without fearing conflict or rejection?
- When was the last time I compromised my values in a relationship, and how could setting a boundary have helped?
- What boundary do I need to set to ensure that my needs are met in my closest relationships?
Related Post: Valuing Professional And Personal Relationships For A Successful Life
How are you going to use these boundaries journal prompts?
I hope you found these boundary-setting journal prompts helpful in your healing perfectionism journey! As a recovering perfectionist, when I started my journey I found setting boundaries to be one of the hardest steps to take.
When you’re a perfectionist, you’re so focused on ‘doing the right thing’ and trying to be the best version of yourself, you start to neglect your own wellbeing in favour of the overarching goal. It’s a lonely road.
This is why I recommend you take some time to work through each of these journal prompts and figure out where your boundaries stand. Is there some extra mindset work you need to do? Is there one particular area in your life where you really struggle to set boundaries?
If so, I recommend you check out the book Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B Rosenberg. It is an absolute classic and a must-have for perfectionists learning how to break the cycle of go-go-go and burnout.
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