As an increasing number of people live every moment of their lives on social networks, healthy boundaries have become distorted. While we tend to still be personally and emotionally offend when others do not respect our privacy, many in our culture continue to publicly post private thoughts and information on social networks. While this new phenomena is frustrating it still proves the fact that no one desires for their personal boundaries to be violated. The inability to respect other’s personal boundaries will cost you both socially and emotionally. Your family and friends will slowly pull away from you as your disrespect for their privacy continues. If this behavior is left unchanged, you will lose employment and positions because no one can nor are they willing to trust you.
Signs you have a problem with personal boundaries:
You are reminded from others about “personal space”. You get uncomfortably close both physically and emotionally. You enjoy the reaction from others when you cross personal boundaries.
You ask too many personal questions causing others to feel creepy around you. You enjoy or feel some type of right being in other people’s business.
You butt into other’s conversation providing your unsolicited advice.
You help people whether they know they need the help or not.
You tell people every detail of events in people’s life without checking first to see whether they are comfortable with others knowing. You feel that people you hardly know are your best friend. You have others tell you how creepy it is when you express your devotion to strangers.
You find yourself constantly falling in love with anyone who gives you attention. Therefore, you have a consuming desire to know everything about them.
Another person’s life becomes the most important part of your life without any type of commitment from them. They appreciate your devotion soon.
People frequently tell you that your behavior or questions are not appropriate. “That is none of your business.”
You take pleasure in defining others and revealing to them what their problem is.
You cannot take no as an answer. You make others uncomfortable when you proceed to help them when told not to.
You touch others without asking.
Yes this list sounds familiar to a list about a stalker that is because a stalker is someone who has problems with personal boundaries. Therefore if you have a problem in the area of personal boundaries you are not that far away from being a stalker.
How you make others feel when you neglect to honor their privacy: List provide from students of Ravenswood Christian School
Violated.
How rude what gives you the right to make my life an open book.
It is not your life it is mine.
I want to choose who I tell, not you choose for me.
Gossip hurts.
Fear that others may use my word/actions for black mail.
Fear that you actually did something wrong
The fear that others do not understand, misconception.
Private thoughts are private, how embarrassing when they become public.
It can hurt my relationship with others.
It could have been something said in frustration that was never meant to be said in public.
What does the Bible say about respecting other’s boundaries
Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Corrupt: worthless, poor quality. Edifying: act of building up promote another. Minister: to give, to supply Grace: good will, favor
Our conversations are not to be filled with worthless words, but instead words that promote good will.
Proverbs 16:28 - A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. Froward: perverse, mean Soweth: to send, let loose Strife: contention, brawling
Mean things whispered to others undoes friendships.
Proverbs 20:19 - He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. Proverbs 18:8 - The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Talebearer: informer, carry tales Revealeth: disclose Meddle: to make a pledge Flattereth: open wide, to be spacious
Do not tell someone with a big mouth secrets you do not want told, because their betrayal will hurt deeply.