From Burnout to Balance: Setting Healthy Boundaries at Work

For 15 years, I worked in the nonprofit sector where I experienced both incredible rewards and significant challenges. If you've ever worked in a service-oriented industry like nonprofit, nursing, or teaching, you know how difficult it can be to set healthy boundaries. I didn't understand what healthy boundaries were at the time and I certainly didn't always see them modeled by leadership. As a mission-driven person, the lack of boundaries in my professional life led to symptoms of burnout—chronic fatigue, anxiety, poor sleep, unhealthy coping mechanisms and lifestyle habits, and a growing sense of isolation coupled with a perception that my colleagues were trying to undermine me rather than support me. Instead of setting boundaries to protect my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing, I stopped caring about the work that had once been a core part of my identity and eventually left the nonprofit sector altogether.

Without boundaries, we may find ourselves trapped in negative patterns that are hard to break. But my outcome doesn’t have to be yours. Setting healthy boundaries in your professional life is a great mitigator to symptoms of burnout and workplace dissatisfaction. A healthy boundary is a clear, firm limit that protects your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, ensuring that your needs are met from a place of self-respect and self-love. Let's explore healthy boundary-setting through the lens of the four body systems.

The Physical Body System

The physical body system encompasses everything within our physical world and is often the first place that signals something is out of balance or alignment. Think inflammation, poor skin, muscle pains, feelings of anxiety or exhaustion, etc.  This system encompasses our physical body, social interactions, lifestyle habits (such as nutrition, sleep, and exercise), and how we use our time and energy. Setting healthy boundaries plays a crucial role in managing these aspects effectively. Boundaries help raise awareness around how you allocate your time, energy, and resources so that you can understand what types of boundaries and how to put them in place (think strategic no’s). This helps you to manage expectations and workloads in the office, and also allows you to prioritize and engage in activities that bring joy and fulfillment, such as hobbies, passions, and personal or professional growth endeavors (certification programs, continuing ed credits, etc). 

Additionally, boundaries ensure you prioritize adequate rest and recovery, leading to better sleep quality. And what often happens when we get quality sleep? We have the opportunity to put in place a positive behavioral feedback loop - better sleep leads to higher energy levels which in turn improves mental cognition and emotional regulation (think reduce stress), contributing to better decision-making and lifestyle choices, leading to overall improvements in physical health and lowering the risk of stress-related conditions. See how that works? 

The Mental System

The mental system contains our thoughts, perceptions of the self and the world around us, and the conscious mind. Setting healthy boundaries in both professional and personal life can significantly enhance the functioning of this system. Let’s start with the brain itself. Instituting healthy boundaries protects the brain in a number of ways. Boundaries help regulate the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for the fight-or-flight response. This regulation influences and reduces the stress hormone cortisol,which helps alleviate chronic stress and anxiety. Setting boundaries also reinforces positive neural pathways in the brain, leading to clearer thinking and positive mindset shifts. And adopting a positive mindset is key to establishing a professional culture of learning, respect, and teamwork. Healthy boundaries also support the activation of the prefrontal cortex, the brain region involved in decision-making, impulse control, and self-regulation. With clear boundaries in place that allows the brain to rest and recover, it can operate more efficiently, reducing cognitive overload and enhancing focus and productivity. 

But what about our thought life? How does setting boundaries support healthy perceptions of the self, others, and the world? Let’s see how they set the stage for reinforcement of a positive feedback loop. Defining and maintaining boundaries creates a mental environment where you can better manage your thoughts and perceptions, leading to a more accurate and positive self-image. These boundaries protect your mental space from negative influences, such as unrealistic expectations or toxic relationships, allowing you to maintain a balanced perspective on your abilities and worth. This clarity, in turn, serves to empower you to approach challenges with confidence and focus, free from self-doubt or external pressures.

Additionally, healthy boundaries encourage the development of new neural pathways that support resilience (which lives predominantly in the vagus nerve), enabling you to better handle stress and recover from setbacks. The vagus nerve is the communication highway between the brain and the body and is also home to our threat perception center. It regulates our fight, flight or freeze system. By preventing cognitive overload and reducing stress, boundaries help you come out of a threats-based crisis-mode mentality and into a normal operating mode, which enables your mind to think more clearly and make decisions more effectively. It also supports a healthy perception of others and the world around you. If you aren’t operating in threat-based mode, then you won’t perceive everything around you as a threat. In essence, by setting and honoring boundaries, you cultivate a mental system that is both stable and adaptable, capable of fostering positive relationships and a healthy, realistic self-concept.

The Emotional System

The emotional system encompasses our subconscious mind and the relationships we have with ourselves and others. Emotional regulation is crucial for maintaining balance within this system, and establishing healthy boundaries, particularly in the workplace, can significantly support this effort. How? Well we know from what we read under the mental system that boundaries play a vital role in regulating the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for the fight-or-flight response. When we are stressed, it's hard to think and act clearly because we are "amygdala hijacked" by the vagus nerve’s activation of our crisis center, sending us into fight, flight, or freeze. Our stress hormone cortisol is pumped throughout the body, heightening our perception and sending our emotional responses into hyperdrive. Anxiety for example is a natural (and normal) emotional response when under threat of a bear attack. We can see that in specific situations, this evolutionary system serves us when there is actually a threat. But when we are constantly triggered into a fight or flight response through chronic stress (like is the case for many working in service-oriented work environments), our emotional response skews the same direction. This contributes to developing anxiety-related conditions, decreased level of trust, and living in self-protection mode. Because it creates an emotionally unsafe situation.      

By protecting your emotional health through boundaries, you contribute to overall positive mental health, reinforcing your self-worth and building confidence. Additionally, consistently enforcing boundaries improves brain connectivity, particularly between the prefrontal cortex and other regions, thereby enhancing overall emotional regulation and stress response. By enhancing vagal tone, linked to the parasympathetic nervous system, boundaries promote relaxation and reduce stress, in turn supporting emotional well-being. Establishing and maintaining boundaries can also lead to the release of oxytocin, the “bonding hormone,” fostering trust and healthy connections in relationships. They help to establish a clear understanding of what is acceptable and what is not, promote mutual respect, encourage clear and honest communication, and help reduce misunderstandings and conflicts, leading to stronger, more meaningful connections with others. The result? Healthier, more balanced relationships where each person’s needs are considered. Boundaries help you manage your emotional responses by creating space for self-reflection and self-care. By reinforcing self-worth and encouraging clear communication, boundaries can serve to create a foundation for lasting emotional well-being.

The Spiritual System

Our spiritual system houses our values, beliefs, and our connection to something greater than the self, driving our pursuit of purpose and meaning in life. If you are like me and seek to connect your value to be in service of others with your professional path, then being clear on what your values and beliefs are is critical. When we experience burnout or other unhealthy workplace environmental factors, the connection between our values and profession disintegrates, impacting our motivation and performance. However, establishing boundaries strengthen the insular cortex, a brain region involved in self-reflection and internal awareness, promoting better self-understanding and clarity of values. It actually provides the space to stay connected and motivated and maintain a sense of purpose. Also by defining what you need, want, and believe, boundaries help you reclaim your sense of self, separate from external factors, and reduce reliance on others for validation or self-worth. Setting and maintaining boundaries is empowering, reinforcing a sense of control and autonomy over your life. Setting healthy boundaries affirms that your needs and well-being are important, reinforcing your intrinsic value. 

How Integrative Coaching Can Support Healthy Boundary-Setting

Integrative coaching takes a holistic approach to setting boundaries that considers the interconnectedness of the mind, body, emotions, and spirit. We explore current professional boundaries, identifying areas where they may be lacking or where they might be too rigid. This reflection allows you to understand how your boundaries (or lack thereof) are impacting your overall well being. We then identify your core values and priorities, which serve as a foundation for setting meaningful and appropriate boundaries going forward. This helps us to create a step-by-step action plan for implementing boundaries in the workplace to help prevent or counter burnout, and apply tactics and tools when necessary to ensure the process is manageable and sustainable. With regular check-ins to monitor progress, we celebrate small wins and milestones, and make adjustments where necessary. 

If working with an integrative coach like myself is not for you, below is a preliminary list of boundaries that you can test out or use to brainstorm others that are more specific to your work-life context:

• Set clear expectations with supervisors and colleagues about your availability, workload, and what you can realistically accomplish.

• Avoid checking work emails or taking work-related calls after hours unless it's an emergency.

• Set expectations for response times to emails and messages, such as not replying outside of work hours or during personal time.

• Clearly define your job responsibilities and ensure that you are not consistently taking on tasks outside of your role without proper recognition or compensation.

• Lean into the strategic no. Politely decline additional tasks or projects when your plate is full to avoid burnout.

• Take regular breaks throughout the day to recharge, and ensure you take your full lunch break without interruption.

• Schedule and protect personal time for family, hobbies, and relaxation without feeling guilty or pressured to work.

• Set limits on meeting times and only attend meetings that are necessary for your role. Ensure meetings have clear agendas and time limits.

Conclusion

Setting healthy boundaries is a fundamental act of self-love and self-respect. By recognizing and honoring your own needs, boundaries reduce stress, improve focus, and boost self-esteem, leading to a balanced and fulfilling life. They help you maintain healthy relationships, face challenges with resilience, and deepen your self-awareness. Ultimately, boundaries are a powerful tool for nurturing overall well-being and fostering a positive, empowered approach to life. Consider setting healthy boundaries before you reach your breaking point like I did and feel like you don’t have any other option but to leave. Luckily, I've found a new path to serving others through coaching and my private Pilates practice. We are all on a journey, and life is too short not to focus on what truly matters.