What Are Containing And Physical Boundaries?

The last two kinds of boundaries are containing and physical boundaries.

Containing boundaries are helpful when we are reactive and when we are acting in ways that are outside of our values and our best selves.  This is when we want to almost protect the world from us.  These are those moments when we lose our cool and say things or do things that if we had paused and acted from our higher and better selves, we would not have said or done.  This could be something said or done in anger, stress, or fear an addictive or reactive behavior.  There are ways to work with our brains to protect the outside world from our not-best selves.  Think about something you have done that you later regretted, a way you spoke to someone, a numbing behavior or addictive behavior you acted on- that was a time when the work of a containing boundary would have worked.  These boundaries protect the world from us.

The last boundary we talk about is the physical boundary.  This is the ability to create safety for our physical body and our space.  This is about what feels good or bad when talking about physical closeness and closeness to others in general.  This is a primal need for safety in the moment.  Some of us have had our physical boundaries violated or have been cut off from knowing what feels good or not.  This is about inhabiting our bodies to be able to increase that felt sense of safety.

In the book, Creating Boundaries that Stick, Shore shares visualization and embodiment practices that anchor and integrate these skills in our nervous systems, so that with practice, they become strategies for how we live, they become our automatic response so the reactions are less.  When we operate in these ways, we feel safer inside of ourselves and in the world, so we can risk being more authentic with others and have healthier relationships.  Healthier relationships with ourselves and others are one of the keys to happier and healthier lives.

If you are looking for support when it comes to boundaries you can call Harper Therapy at 813-434-3639 today!