Setting healthy relationship boundaries may be the most important thing for a man to do when he commits to the woman of his dreams.

Boundaries or lines of separation are needed in romantic relationships.

You might think of these as counterintuitive, especially when there are so many other ways for two people to be more connected to each other.

Men should openly share their honest thoughts with their significant other.

That statement sounds like a real red flag and relationship deal breaker, wouldn’t you agree?

Thus, the purpose of setting boundaries in a relationship comes into place — to clearly demonstrate where one partner meets the other halfway.

It puts into perspective your needs that may be different from your girlfriend’s; it gives you space where you both feel comfortable and safe about what you have between you; and it guides you into having an ever growing healthy relationship.

So, yes, a clear line must be drawn between a man and woman, all the while holding each other’s hands as they move forward and achieve goals together.

What are the steps to take in order to build healthy relationship boundaries and become one of those happier couples?

1. Know your own limits.

It all starts with knowing what you consider a red flag in your relationship and which ones are not.

Think about your likes and dislikes, what makes you feel happy and excited, what makes you uncomfortable and scared, and even what scenarios make you feel unsafe versus those that make you feel assured and secure.

They may be about your physical boundaries, be it emotional or sexual, or certain limits with regards to other people outside of your relationship.

Men should always be specific about your safety and comfort.

If you don’t like being touched this way or that, or cannot tolerate shouting and name-calling in a fight, do not hesitate to accept them as your limits.

Men should learn to be honest with themselves. Being part of a toxic relationship with your own self will soon pour out into your external relationships and eventually taint them into becoming rotten as well.

2. Tell her about your needs.

After you have come up with your own list of relationship boundaries, it is time to share them with your better half.

There are no particular laws or regulations to be followed that were personally announced to everyone concerned. Men should not expect their girlfriends to telepathically understand these boundaries.

For her to know your needs, you must communicate clearly and candidly.

Men should find time open up about their concerns with their partner. The only way for your partner to understand your boundaries is if you discuss them with her properly.

Understand as well that the only way your problem with certain behaviors of hers can be addressed is if you point them out to her yourself.

Put your worries about getting into an argument at the back of your mind for now.

If there is trust and an open line of communication, nothing can go wrong with realizing relationship boundaries.

3. Never ever make your own interpretation of her feelings.

Of course, you will need a response from her.

Whatever her response may be, be a respectful adult about it. If she lashes out or doesn’t seem to understand the point of your discussion, allow her time to gather herself before offering to clear up her misunderstandings.

You cannot expect your partner to read your mind. Men should not attempt to guess the emotions of their partner.

For all you know, she could be coming up with her own limits now that you have brought the topic upfront.

It is always best to ask her rather than create more issues.

4. Walk the talk.

If you say you cannot tolerate dishes being left in the sink overnight and still let it pass every time your girlfriend says she honestly forgot about it, then you are not honoring your own words.

This type of loose implementation makes her think that there really is no boundary set in place and that she has an excuse to continue with her supposedly problematic behavior.

It may be difficult but make sure to follow through on your word. Many will compromise on things only to end up tolerating things they hate

.

Ultimately, it will affect how you feel about your relationship.

5. Be responsible for your own actions.

It is only fair for us to point out that there is also effort needed on your end for you to create healthy relationship boundaries.

Be careful of projecting your own emotions to your partner every time an unwanted situation arises. Understand that she is not always the one responsible for how you feel about certain things.

Pause, take a step back, and consider what you have personally done to get to this point.

As you are in a loving partnership, you two should take fair responsibility for whatever happens in your relationship.

Say sorry when it’s your fault, and ask her to do the same if it’s hers.

6. Use proper approaches to build healthy boundaries.

Now that you both have understood the huge value of respecting each other’s boundaries and are slowly applying them to your relationship, there’s but one more thing to do.

You should use effective ways to get your message across to each other.

Learn to re-frame your sentiments by using “I” rather than starting with “You.”

Saying “You need to" will likely put your girlfriend on the defensive. Most are more responsive to conversations that start with “I feel uncomfortable when...”.

Men are encouraged to try what is called the sandwich approach to building boundaries.

The recipe calls for a compliment, criticism, and compliment pattern. This way, she will not get defensive and will have a better time accepting the criticism as you have made her understand fully why you pointed it out.

As with everything else, always communicate with her in a calm and respectful way.

Drawing A Line In Between

If you are both clear on how and why you should set healthy relationship boundaries, then you can trust us when we say that your love for each other will never be in danger.

It will take effort, time, and understanding, and it will all be worth it.