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The Wellness Check: Creating Boundaries in A Boundless Society

Let’s talk about boundaries. Merriam Webster defines a boundary as something that indicates or fixes a limit or extent. In English, (and I say that with sarcasm) it means setting a limit. Last year, I talked about wellness and posed the question, ‘is wellness making us unwell?” This year, I think I have a better grasp on that question, and I’d like to discuss that in today’s post. 

bound.a.ry NOUN something that indicates or fixes a limit or extent.

bound.less ADJECTIVE having no boundaries.


When I wrote my first piece for this blog, The Wellness Check: What is Wellness Anyway, I was at a point in my life where I felt confused and truly unwell. Lost in a world of intuitive eating, hyped up skincare, and body positivity, I had no idea what would work best for me. Ultimately, what I learned is this, you have to be willing to set boundaries in a boundless society.


What do I mean by boundless society? Well, it’s simple really, our screens are flooded with many things, but in the New Year, the health and wellness industry dominate the ad space, in my opinion. Everyone is out to set goals, as we should, it’s good for us. But it is important to recognize when it all becomes too much, and this is where boundaries come into play. According to the University of Illinois Chicago, “setting boundaries is a form of self-care. It helps to create a clear guideline/rule/limit of how you would like to be treated.” 


So, boundaries, how can you set them? More importantly, how do you know when to set them?  Now, keep in mind, the articles I am referencing in this post are referring to boundaries in relationships, but it still works. After all, the relationship you have with yourself is just as important, if not more important, than any other relationship you have in your life. Food for thought. 


How to know when to set boundaries

An article from Psychology Today discusses 7 Tips to Create Healthy Boundaries with Others and how to know when your boundaries are being crossed. Among them are verbal violations, psychological and emotional boundary violations, and physical violations. The article further discusses ways to combat such violations through knowing yourself, taking responsibility for yourself, developing a healthy respect for yourself, separating yourself from others, etc.  


Let’s look at this from the perspective of someone who is on their health and wellness journey. For example, you're a health and wellness newbie, you decide to utilize social media to share your journey and suddenly you're inundated with a feed of ads and influencers sharing the latest and greatest tips, tricks, and tools to get you to your goals. You’re lost. You’re confused. And suddenly, you have no idea what works for you. This is when you take a step back. Set some boundaries and protect your peace. 


Ultimately, The Wellness Check is a space where I discuss ways to truly focus on wellness. I’m not a doctor, a fitness expert, a nutritionist, or anything like that. I’m just someone who is on my own wellness journey. Trying to find peace and comfort in my space hasn’t been easy, but learning to protect my space by creating healthy boundaries is a start. If you find that your space is being violated (refer to examples above) then take action and create some boundaries. Unfollow certain people on social media, hide the ads, and maybe start journaling your health and wellness so you can see clearly what is working for you. 


As always, these are just my thoughts that I enjoy sharing with you. As I mentioned, I’m not a doctor, or certified in anything to do with health and wellness. I’m simply a girl on my own journey sharing what’s working for me. So, what is something that is working for you? How are you protecting your space? Let me know down in the comments or over on Instagram @etsparkles. Until next week.


Emily xx

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