The Air We Breathe: Finding Well-Being That Works for You

E48. How Crying at Brunch Inspired New Work Boundaries with Laura Zeyen

May 01, 2024 Heather Sayers Lehman, MS, NBC-HWC, NASM-CPT, CSCS, CIEC, CWP Season 2 Episode 48
E48. How Crying at Brunch Inspired New Work Boundaries with Laura Zeyen
The Air We Breathe: Finding Well-Being That Works for You
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The Air We Breathe: Finding Well-Being That Works for You
E48. How Crying at Brunch Inspired New Work Boundaries with Laura Zeyen
May 01, 2024 Season 2 Episode 48
Heather Sayers Lehman, MS, NBC-HWC, NASM-CPT, CSCS, CIEC, CWP

Sometimes, you find yourself the only one crying at brunch. 😭

Everyone else seems happy with their work, but you're answering calls, crying out of frustration, and being overwhelmed.

Not anymore!!!

Laura Zeyen joins me again today to discuss how setting work boundaries was an emotional game-changer for her.

She shares her experience of reclaiming personal space by establishing firm boundaries in her work and personal lives with family and friends.

We often carry the weight of work stress silently, allowing it to spill into our personal lives and relationships. 

We discuss everything from realizing where and when we need to implement boundaries to finding resources such as therapy, support from friends and families, and journaling to finally exercising the muscle of implementing and practicing boundaries.

By the end of the episode, I hope you can relate to Laura's journey and walk away with some tools to start working on boundaries in your life. 


…..


Don’t know how to start effectively journaling? 📖

Download your free 3D Journaling Guide here: https://heathersayerslehman.com/journal/


Ready to improve your self-care game? 💕

Download 3 Foundational Meta-Skills for Healthy Living that Lasts here: https://heathersayerslehman.com/meta-skills/


Trying to figure out if a program or activity will actually promote healthy behavior change? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Download Keys to Promoting Health Sustaining Behaviors here: https://overcomingu.com/white-paper/


Looking for a personal health coach, well-being speaker, or health education for employees? 🙌🏼

Visit https://heathersayerslehman.com/work-with-me/ for more information.


Need support overcoming emotional eating? Work through my guidebook, Don’t Eat It. DEAL With It! Second Edition: Your Guidebook on How to STOP Eating Your Emotions, to create a healthier relationship with food. ✍🏼


Follow below for consistent info on creating healthy habits without rules, obsession, or exhaustion: ✅


Newsletter: https://heathersayerslehman.com/subscribe/


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersayerslehman/


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersayerslehman



Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Sometimes, you find yourself the only one crying at brunch. 😭

Everyone else seems happy with their work, but you're answering calls, crying out of frustration, and being overwhelmed.

Not anymore!!!

Laura Zeyen joins me again today to discuss how setting work boundaries was an emotional game-changer for her.

She shares her experience of reclaiming personal space by establishing firm boundaries in her work and personal lives with family and friends.

We often carry the weight of work stress silently, allowing it to spill into our personal lives and relationships. 

We discuss everything from realizing where and when we need to implement boundaries to finding resources such as therapy, support from friends and families, and journaling to finally exercising the muscle of implementing and practicing boundaries.

By the end of the episode, I hope you can relate to Laura's journey and walk away with some tools to start working on boundaries in your life. 


…..


Don’t know how to start effectively journaling? 📖

Download your free 3D Journaling Guide here: https://heathersayerslehman.com/journal/


Ready to improve your self-care game? 💕

Download 3 Foundational Meta-Skills for Healthy Living that Lasts here: https://heathersayerslehman.com/meta-skills/


Trying to figure out if a program or activity will actually promote healthy behavior change? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Download Keys to Promoting Health Sustaining Behaviors here: https://overcomingu.com/white-paper/


Looking for a personal health coach, well-being speaker, or health education for employees? 🙌🏼

Visit https://heathersayerslehman.com/work-with-me/ for more information.


Need support overcoming emotional eating? Work through my guidebook, Don’t Eat It. DEAL With It! Second Edition: Your Guidebook on How to STOP Eating Your Emotions, to create a healthier relationship with food. ✍🏼


Follow below for consistent info on creating healthy habits without rules, obsession, or exhaustion: ✅


Newsletter: https://heathersayerslehman.com/subscribe/


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersayerslehman/


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersayerslehman



Speaker 1:

And I think it took a while for me to realize, oh wait, like I don't have to like go above and beyond and I can still just go in and do my job and I can leave and walk away and at the end of the night I don't have to worry about anybody messaging me at 11 o'clock at night to talk through something or ask a question, and because of that I think that I am a better teacher and I am definitely a better partner and definitely a better family member and friend.

Speaker 2:

Hi and welcome to the Air ReBreathe, finding wellbeing that works for you. I'm your host, Heather Sayers-Layman. I'm a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Certified Personal Trainer. I help you get organized and consistent with healthy habits, without rules, obsession or exhaustion. This podcast may contain talk about eating disorders and disordered eating. There could also be some adult language here. Choose wisely. If those are problematic for you are problematic for you. Hi, everyone, and welcome to this episode of the air we breathe.

Speaker 2:

Today I'm bringing Laura back and Laura has worked with me for we do this, have done this before seven years or could be six years, and I'm always happy to have Laura around and we talk like this all the time. So I like doing an episode because then it's really just like us having a conversation. And today we're talking about boundaries. So the whole process that Laura's gone through from realizing I need a boundary to establishing a boundary, to maintaining or tweaking a boundary. So we're just going to really go through Laura's process, because I always think that boundaries can certainly be daunting, but then hearing how somebody else did it can be really helpful. Laura, do you want to do a little, Laura? Bio?

Speaker 1:

Yes, so yeah, I think that we established that it was seven years last time, but I'm going to say that and then go back to the last podcast and then it's going to be completely wrong. So I live in Chicago and I am a dance educator here at two different studios. I live in Chicago and I am a dance educator here at two different studios, and then I also work for Heather. I live here with my husband, matt, and our dog, chance, and yeah, I am excited to talk about boundaries today.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I always think it's helpful because people know that I'm an elder I'm 53, but that you are from a different generation and which I always think is also interesting with behavior change, because you are 30, getting ready to be 31. Yeah, look at me, look at me a couple weeks away. All right, well, let's just dive in and I've got a couple of questions for you. So what made you think that you needed more or better boundaries?

Speaker 1:

Okay, so I was working at my old for my old employer and, um, just kind of some background on just being a dance teacher. Anyway, I feel like the boundaries are just different when you enter into that world than you have with other jobs, just from my personal understanding of what I do and what other people do. So the boundaries are kind of more loose because you don't have these set hours from like you go into the office at nine and you work and then you get off and then you go home. I do a lot of my planning throughout the day, so I'm working throughout the day here and there, and then I go in and I teach at night. So I was working for my old studio and I started noticing that I had way too much, or people had too much, access to me. So my employer had too much access to me, the parents had too much access to me, my students had my phone number and were able to text and call me, which was not my job's fault. It was my fault because I was a younger teacher coming into this job. I think when I started there I was 24, 23, 24. So I wanted to be that teacher that was approachable and there for all of my kids and there for the parents and there for my boss, and always saying yes, yes, yes to everything, because I thought that that's what made a good employee. I wanted to be the perfect employee that said yes and was able to do everything.

Speaker 1:

When I realized that I really needed to start setting boundaries, I started noticing that I was in a constant state of worry when I was not at work because I what if someone texted me and reached out to me or sent me a message on our, on our app? That is like for parents and students to get ahold of anybody in the company, um or through email, and I wasn't near my phone to answer that question. Or I would answer questions while I was out and about and away from my computer and said, yes, I'll get, I'll get back to you on that. And then I would forget questions while I was out and about and away from my computer and said, yes, I'll get, I'll get back to you on that. And then I would forget to do that because I had so many things going on and I was. I was taking on too much.

Speaker 1:

I I think that I was had a relationship with my previous boss that was too friendly. Previous boss that was too friendly. It was beyond just like a boss and an employee. It was like she could reach me whenever she wanted, I could reach her whenever I wanted and there was no boundary there. So I realized pretty quickly that something needed to change, but I wasn't sure what.

Speaker 2:

So it was an overarching anxiety that you were feeling.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. It was just. Everyone was able to talk to me at any time and especially, I think, all those boundaries kind of went out the window. If there were any loose boundaries to begin with, it went out the window during COVID too, because we were all home and we wanted to stay connected with our kids and no and let the parents know, like, we're still here for your kids, because I know this is a hard time for them. And it became a thing where, even if we weren't fully reachable before, we were definitely reachable in the pandemic, because what are we doing? We're not doing anything like they can. They can call us whenever they want or they can text us whenever they want, and that was it very quickly became a thing that was not manageable.

Speaker 2:

And also what I hear you saying, which I think is so common, is why you are anxious in the first place, because you're worried about what people are going to think. You want people to think that you're great. You need to be perceived as perfect and likable and helpful. And I have two sons and I have not heard them talk about that in any job or position they've had and it always just feels so gendered and it's absolutely not. There are certainly men who feel like that, but I would say that's less common than for a woman to be like okay, so I've got to do this great. And even of the interns that I've had, like they're so nervous about starting their first job because they have to pick the perfect job, about starting their first job, because they have to pick the perfect job, like they don't want to start something that isn't like the job and they have to show up in a certain way. So do you think all of that for you is just more general social conditioning of who you thought you need to show up?

Speaker 1:

as Absolutely. I think. As young girls, we're taught to be polite and to say yes and be accommodating to people. So I think that going into this was my first I'd say this was my first job out of college. I applied at two different studios and I started working at both of those studios at the same time and one I was doing a lot more for, I was more involved with and I wanted to show them that I am able to do everything. I I will say yes to everything. I I'm going to accommodate your schedule to make it like, make it fit mine, even if it didn't, and I made a lot of sacrifices there. So I I definitely think that it's a lot of how we, like kind of society conditions us to be, as we grow up, to like be this, this polite, accommodating person in all aspects of our life, not just our jobs.

Speaker 2:

So what was the outcome that you were looking for? Hmm.

Speaker 1:

So what was the outcome that you were looking for? So I, like I said earlier, I realized that there was something wrong and I needed to make a shift. But I specifically remember being out with my friends and we were, all you know, just making small talk about our jobs how are things going? And I just full on started sobbing about my job and having a breakdown there at the table. Everyone was like, okay, and I think that that's when I realized, okay, I've number one taken on too much. I don't have clear boundaries. Because I think that people were probably reaching out to me that day because we're getting ready for the season to start.

Speaker 1:

It was over the summer, for the season to start. It was over the summer and I looked around at my friends sitting there at the table and I wanted the peace that they had with their job. I wanted the separation that they had with their jobs. I almost envied them that they were able to just leave work at work. So I was like, okay, something needs to change and need to figure this out. So I I actually it's kind of ironic, I guess, but my job that I was working for actually got me connected with a therapist because I kind of had a breakdown and then again at a work event. It was not great, I was not in a good place and my boss said I have this great therapist that you can talk to. I'll get you connected with her and I'm very thankful for that and I'm also very thankful for the opportunities that I had at this past job and the connections that I made at this past job.

Speaker 1:

I just don't think that it was the right fit for me like to continue there. So I know that with therapy it is expensive and it's a privilege to be able to go to therapy, and I know that there are some cheaper options out there, like for some online therapy, and I'm very lucky that I got connected with this person. But it was very expensive at the time because I didn't have health insurance that would cover it. So I had to make the decision to only go once a month, like this is all I can afford. I can only go once a month. It wasn is all I can afford. I can only go once a month. It wasn't ideal because I think that I would have benefited from a lot more. It would be great if therapy was more accessible, that people could go every week if they felt like they needed to, and I think it would benefit everyone to be able to have an outlet like that to talk to.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, I started going to therapy once a month and started working with her on, specifically, boundary setting and figuring out what I wanted from my job and my unhappiness in my job and what that looks like for my future staying there, not staying there, finding something new, doing something completely different and not only did she help me with job stuff, but it was also like life stuff that was going on too. I mean, I failed to mention that during this entire time I was also planning a wedding. Like that's stressful as well. So I mean, it was a lot of things, but I think that the majority of the things that were causing me the stress was the job that I was in.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so which probably I'm assuming did it eat into a little of your joy for wedding planning?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, absolutely, I think, because I was planning other aspects of job things and then I would like you know I would be off the clock and planning things for the wedding. It just felt like it all kind of meshed together and became this mess of so much happening and so many decisions to be made and it just felt too much and then I'm assuming it was impactful.

Speaker 2:

Like for Matt, was he like? So is this what we'll be doing with the crying and the breaking down at brunch, or exactly exactly he was.

Speaker 1:

He was definitely a person that was like I think therapy would be great. I think that this would be a great opportunity for you to talk to someone, because he was very helpful and talking through things. But there's only so much your partner can do like they can. They can talk through things with you and they can give give you their opinion on things, and I know that Matt and I both do this to each other. Like Matt will tell me something, I'll be like uh-huh, and then my therapist will tell me. I'm like say, more that's amazing.

Speaker 1:

Same thing like I'll tell Matt certain things and then I'll be like so my therapist told me this today and I was like I literally just said this last week, but it's nice to hear that from an outside person, for sure.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think the objectivity is so helpful to also you know they've gone to school for this and they have like different ways of saying it that you probably even think it's your idea. You're like oh well, just occurred to me, did it? Right, right, and I think that you know, obviously in all the courses that we do, we talk about like sort of the you know what are the causes of your basically emotional distress, like what are the costs of it, and when you're looking to implement boundaries, looking at the costs I think is very helpful. And a lot of people like no, no, I'm fine. But to say like, yeah, this is causing a little bit of concern. Matt has to worry about me more than I would like him to. And then also like I'm distracted and when I'm bawling at brunch, like maybe my friends aren't having as good of a time, or like to look at the global pieces that are happening that if you really step back you can see, but when you're in it, obviously it's really difficult to see all the impacts.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. I didn't really see it when I was in it until, like, taking a step back and looking at it, because even something happened where we were on spring break for the studio and I was back home visiting with my dad and my stepmom and my sister was there and the we released teams for the upcoming season. So the following season we released them in the spring so that they can start training over the summer, but they hadn't finished their season yet technically and so we released those before spring break, so they had all of spring break just to kind of take it all in. And we knew there would be some upset people because we were changing it up from what we'd done in years past. And anytime there's any kind of change, people panic me included. I'm not a kind of change. People panic me included. I'm not like a fan of change.

Speaker 1:

And I got a call from one of my dancers upset and I took the call and, looking back on it, I should not have taken the call because I should have said give it some time, we can talk about this when we're back. But I took the call because I I thought that that was my way of showing how much I cared, but I think that it was taking away from my happiness and my time with my family. And the students would have still been just fine had we just waited a couple days and I could have called them back the next day and just said hey, I'm busy with my family, let's talk tomorrow. I know you're upset, it's going to be OK, and left it there. But I took the call instead and my sister was very upset with me and at the time I did not understand why. But looking back on it she was right.

Speaker 2:

You were right, molly well, I think that that's why it's so hard to see, like when you're in the middle of it too, and then even when you start to make some like teeny, tiny changes or like, oh, um, yeah, I didn't realize, and that's why I think, having sort of a process where you make yourself realize, like you know in what way because even like Alcoholics Anonymous, they have a fishbowl I don't know if they still did this I did this with my mom and, like, through the process, it was my opportunity to tell her all the ways that her alcohol dependency had affected me, which talk about you. You know your desire to be likable and pleasant, like, oh, you'd like me to sit and eat a game with my mom and tell her, but like she needed to realize like this wasn't just impacting her. So right, and I think sometimes, especially like a sister, it's hard to get feedback like that because, like you're always complaining or whatever it is we say about our siblings.

Speaker 1:

Right, exactly, exactly.

Speaker 2:

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Speaker 1:

I think, listening to my family members, so like really trying to hear Molly and like think about it after the fact and what she was saying, and um, and then once I got a lot of these tools in therapy. So it's hard to like say that I got it from anywhere else, but just like realizing that once I'm done at work, turning off my phone and like, okay, we're not going to check the phone until tomorrow when it's time to look at work stuff again. I know that I turned to my friends as well, especially my friends that I was working with at that same place, and they were going through the same thing. So it felt better to talk to them about those things, because they were dealing with it too, rather than to go to Matt and tell him for the fifth night in a row I'm still having a terrible time here. It was better to like go to a friend and say, like how are you dealing with this? Because you don't seem as as completely spread thin and stressed out as I do, like what do you do in this situation when, like this is asked of you?

Speaker 1:

So I think like turning to like your group and your people that are in your life, like in your corner, whether it's a family member or a friend. I know I don't want to like burden them with everything, because I know that like it can be really hard to like say, here are all the things that are going on, and like it can feel very much like whoa, I don't know how to help you with this, like from the other perspective. But even just asking them, do you have the space to listen to me? You don't have to help me, you just can. I need someone to just listen and hear me out with what I'm dealing with.

Speaker 2:

Well, what do you suggest for someone that's feeling kind of squishy or weird on the inside about setting boundaries?

Speaker 1:

I think, doing some of the things well if it's work related. Some of the things that I did, I did turn off my phone, I muted notifications on my app and I gave myself specific times to check the app to see what was going on with the studio. So I ended up leaving my old place and starting at a new company and I know that not everyone gets the opportunity to leave their current situation, their current job, and start somewhere new. But I was able to set new boundaries their current job and start somewhere new. But I was able to set new boundaries, set boundaries from the beginning there and I never gave my number out to any of the students.

Speaker 1:

I the accessibility of my email with parents is not there and that has a lot to do with my current boss. She takes on a lot of that stuff and the communications with parents. I have my app muted from the beginning, mostly because when a birthday goes off, everyone's like happy birthday. It's text after text. I'm like I can't, so it's muted and I have a certain day that I go in, like a couple days a week that I go in and check it, make sure I don't have any messages, and that has helped a lot. But if you are staying at your current place, it is harder to work backwards on those boundaries when there aren't any in place. But it can be done and it may just be more of a gradual thing. And I think it starts a lot with having open communication with your boss and saying here's what was happening before, here's what I'm going to be doing now. And it can be a hard conversation, I know, but if it's for your peace and your sanity, I think it's worth it to have those tough conversations.

Speaker 2:

Well, what did you do Because I'm assuming, when you started having boundaries, like, your voice on the inside was like oh my gosh, everybody's going to hate us, they're gonna think I'm being ridiculous Like what did you do to try to work with or quell that anxiety?

Speaker 1:

I think for me I showed up, I think, more in my classes with my kids. I think I had more to give in my classes. It took a while to realize that because at first I was definitely there and I was like, oh my gosh, even at the very beginning I would sometimes text my boss. I'm like what can I do? What can I do? Like trying to put myself out there. And she was like I've got it handled, like it's okay. And I think it took a while for me to realize, oh wait, like I don't have to like go above and beyond and I can still just go in and do my job and I can leave and walk away and at the end of the night I don't have to worry about anybody messaging me at 11 o'clock at night to talk through something or ask a question. And because of that I think that I am a better teacher and I'm definitely a better partner and definitely a better family member and friend.

Speaker 1:

But it was definitely. It was hard at the beginning because there are, like there's that voice in your head that is like, oh, you're not doing like what you were doing before. And I took a lot of work through that in therapy as well. I talked a lot with my therapist about it and it was a lot of her asking, okay, like, what kind of relationship do you want with the kids? What kind of relationship do you want with your boss? It clearly wasn't working before.

Speaker 1:

So now, how are we going to make this work? And maybe it is working, maybe it's just different and, like I said before, not a fan of change. So when it started changing even though it was changing for the better I was starting to panic a little bit. But then like really stepping back and be like, no, the relationships are better now all across the board More. It's like that whole quantity versus quality thing, like the quality of my engagements with the people that I'm around are so much better. I, even though I'm not contacting everybody, and like being in contact with them all the time.

Speaker 2:

I think that it's important for people, especially if they're anticipating a change, to know you're not going to be like, oh, this is amazing. I'm so glad I did this, because when you make a change, if you weren't sure, kind of what the inner voices were going to say, now you know, because they will start chiming in and then I feel like that's at least directional, like here's actually what I think, even subconsciously, and what can I do with that and try to deal with that versus, you know, kind of like a moving stuff around on the outside of like, what are these beliefs that I have here that maybe I need to amend or look at or replace, because those beliefs are what is really driving my behavior in the first place.

Speaker 1:

Right and actually taking the time, like we talked about in the last episode, like what, what works for me? And like what do I actually want? And like that is so hard to ask yourself. I think because a lot of times, like we talked about earlier, we're trying to accommodate other people and it's okay to accommodate yourself and set those boundaries up so that you're you are taken care of. So then, like the whole putting your mask on before you put it on, everyone else like it. There is so much truth in that, in all aspects of our life.

Speaker 2:

So well, and I love that you started doing that. Younger than certainly many to most certainly myself, um, did that? I was. I used to be very nice and accommodating, and now my inner circle will probably be like is is she, though? So is there anywhere else that you're thinking about implementing boundaries?

Speaker 1:

um, I think that after everything with work, I started to implement more boundaries within just like all aspects of my life. So my friends, my family, my partner I think with a partner, just having open communication about what your needs are, um, a lot of times I know that Matt and I, it was hard at first when we were adjusting to the schedule of like him working during the day and then I'd come home at night and then when I first would get home, we would want to talk about our days and he would definitely want to talk about our days. But, like, sometimes, like after teaching all night, I would need just like some quiet and not need to talk about it. So, like saying that up front, I I can't have a full conversation at 10 o'clock when I come home, like let's talk a little bit in the car on our way home and then when once we're home, it's more just like you can tell me a little bit about your day, but please don't expect too much of me because I don't think I have very much to give after teaching all night. It's definitely gotten better now that my work situations are better, but having that open conversation, like open communication with a partner and then with family and friends, like if there are certain things that I can't do with my friends whether it's because I'm trying to save money or I just have way too much going on this week being really open and honest about that and saying I don't have the bandwidth for this this week, can we reschedule, can we do this another day? And then that kind of goes along the same lines as family.

Speaker 1:

It's hard with our family being Like Matt's family is two and a half hours away, my family is three to four hours away, and having to say like no, we can't come back home for these certain things. I know it's important to you but it doesn't make sense for us right now and we'll try to make it for the next one. Let's plan ahead and figure those things out and working through those things with family. But I think boundaries in all aspects of our life is so good, but I mean, with anything that we do, it's going to fluctuate, like sometimes you're going to have really great boundaries. You're like I am the next, like month you're going to be like wow, where are all my boundaries?

Speaker 1:

Where did they go? So it's a, it's a learning curve for sure.

Speaker 2:

I think you're really good at boundaries with work, because I try to like just yesterday we were talking about what I would consider like a big project for both of us you know, a new software system, and you were like June, I'll have a lot of time and have a lot of energy, which for me is like it's just information, like I don't view that as like oh well, laura's too busy until June, but it's like okay, so then I know how to plan around when you'll be available.

Speaker 2:

So then, yeah, okay, I'll tinker with it more first and then I'll have a better idea of what you can do with it later. But I always consider like I don't know, like your boundaries just feel like facts of like yeah, tied up, like you know, definitely not going to do it, I can keep, and you even said like I can keep doing this other thing, and then when it comes time and then I'm done the season, it's like oh, that's great and I think it's super helpful. And I know that you probably had glitches with people who don't want to hear what you're saying, I assume oh, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

And I think that for people that don't have boundaries in their life, when someone, when you give a boundary to them, their initial like reaction is like to take it personally and think like, oh, this is like a personal thing, um, but like you said, if they can take it as fact and it's just like, these are the facts laid out, this has nothing to do. This is not a personal attack on you or anything like that. And sometimes like setting boundaries right off the bat and saying like, this is nothing personal, this is everything to do. This is not a personal attack on you or anything like that. And sometimes like setting boundaries right off the bat and saying like this is nothing personal, this is everything to do with me and I. I just need this, this space or this time or whatever it is that you're asking for, and you can't. You can only control the way that you react to that situation.

Speaker 1:

You cannot control what others will do when they're given a boundary, but if they choose to break that boundary, then you can decide okay, maybe I need to put a little bit more space with this situation and I mean, I think that's what I had to do with my, my last job. I just don't think the boundaries were going to be respected, even after asking for them. So it's like it's time, my time is done. Nothing personal, it's just. I got to move on.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I just did an episode which will have come out by the time this comes out on saying no. So even in those, if somebody calls you, I'm like hey, can you come home? That you can say you know what, let me look at my calendar and get back with you. If you're feeling like so under the gun and like oh, I have to decide now, but you can absolutely be like and I think a lot of couples like that let me check with Matt, you know, but it gives you time so you're not like flustered or trying to figure out how to say no which I think it's easier but just asking that, or not really asking, but just saying like let me get back and then again, like that feels like no harm, no foul too Cause that again it's just information and then you can either call them, text them, like whatever you want to do. To clarify that I definitely can't do it this weekend. Here are a list of other weekends that will work.

Speaker 1:

I think that's another thing too, like giving you know, not just being like. I feel like boundaries are easier when you don't just give like a full-on, like no, which is perfectly acceptable. You can definitely no, like this is not what's happening, but also being like no.

Speaker 1:

However, here, are some other options and like laying out other options. So it's like it's a little bit easier if you still want to be accommodating, which deep down in my soul, I'm still like, okay, but let me try to be accommodating in another way, even though I can't accommodate that this time boundaries, but then that you're able to focus on.

Speaker 2:

You know, like Matt and I've been better in this way, or I've enjoyed my students more in this way, because I think always you know, we always talk about the costs and causes, but like the feelings that you wanted, like you have more of those. So I don't know if you do or have thought about, like how do I really look at these great results? I've gotten to keep myself motivated to making more of these choices for myself.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. I feel like I journal a lot about it and so sometimes it's fun to like look back on your journal entries like from like months ago where the boundaries were not in place, and then you look at like you're writing now and you're like, oh, I feel so good, I feel at peace, I don't, I am not stressed about like going into the studio today because I I feel set in my boundaries and I know that I'm going to give my best self to my students, and so I think like that has definitely helped to kind of recognize that and recognize where I am.

Speaker 2:

That's cool, that's fun. It's always fun to make sure that, amidst all of the anxiety that you are stopping for a little pat on the back.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think that's important.

Speaker 2:

Well, thanks for sharing your boundaries journey with us.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely Anytime. I love boundaries. Now that I feel better about them, you're like at first, they're scary.

Speaker 2:

I don't. Can I give you some input? I don't want to give you unsolicited advice, so let me ask you first. I don't want to give you unsolicited advice, so let me ask you first. Did you want my thoughts on this? All right, well, thanks for chatting and then hopefully we'll see you soon when we have another fun. What's on Laura's Mind topic?

Speaker 1:

Love that.

Speaker 2:

I'm always open to some Laura and Heather fireside chat yeah well, sort of like we'll have a mailbag full of these topics that everybody's pining to hear from us.

Speaker 1:

I would love that.

Speaker 2:

All right, take care.

Speaker 1:

All right.

Speaker 2:

Bye. Thanks so much for listening today. Do you know what would be really fun? If you popped over to my Instagram at Heather Sayers Lehman and dropped me a DM and let me know what topics you want me to cover? Something bugging you, something holding you up? Please just let me know and I will tweak some content and get an episode out just for you. As always, please follow show or you can leave a five star review on Apple or Spotify. That would be fun to see in the next episode.

Establishing and Maintaining Boundaries for Wellbeing
Navigating Work Stress Through Therapy
Establishing Boundaries for Personal Growth
Setting Healthy Boundaries in Relationships
Fireside Chat Topic Suggestions