Breaking Barriers

For many women, the word boundaries feels loaded. It can sound harsh. Selfish. Cold. Like something that will push people away or cause conflict. So instead of setting boundaries, we manage. We accommodate. We explain. We stretch ourselves thinner so no one else feels uncomfortable. But boundaries were never meant to be walls. They are meant to be clarity. They are meant to be care. They are meant to be self-respect in action.

Most women don’t wake up one day and decide to make themselves smaller. Shrinking happens quietly. Gradually. So subtly that it often feels like personality rather than protection. We tell ourselves we’re just easygoing. That we don’t need much. That it’s better not to make waves. But for many women, shrinking isn’t who they are – it’s what they learned to do to stay safe, connected, and accepted.