Better Boundaries: You Don't Have to be Broken to be Better

by Kari Kwinn

Are drama and resentment draining your energy? Is the joy missing from your life? Are you stuck in a cycle of poor decisions? Are you paralyzed by indecision? All these situations are red flags that you need help with your personal boundaries. While we only tend to notice our boundaries when they have been broken, in Better Boundaries, Kari Kwinn explains that they don't actually have to be broken to be better.As Kwinn explains, healthy boundaries are far more than lines in the sand or abstractions discussed in therapy. They are highly personal and dynamic. Though there's no one-size-fits-all rule to balancing your relationships with people, organizations, money, time and the internet, Better Boundaries contains recipes and wisdom for how to renegotiate every area of life so that you can become a fuller version of you.In this book, you'll learn how yes as in hell yes--and how to say no-Take healthy steps towards compromise-Ask for appropriate help-Skillfully end relationships-Pick your battles (and learn to let shit go)-Turn down the volume on drama and resentmentAnd so much more.As a writer and experienced yoga teacher, Kwinn brings her multifaceted wisdom to any and everyone suffering under the burdens of the modern world--and shows, with a light touch, how to escape those pressures. In Better Boundaries, readers will find the ultimate guide to being better, doing better and feeling better. As Kwinn shows, the boundaries we set with others are always affecting us--even if we're unaware of them. For anyone who wants to put that invisible force to work for them instead of against them, this book is the perfect place to start.

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2020

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wouldn’t it be nice to just sit down over coffee with a trusted friend and, through easy conversation, learn all you need to know to create healthy boundaries? Well, this book is essentially the literary equivalent of just that! Kari Kwinn brings the fullness of her voice into this book, which eradicates the technical feeling that most self-help books seem to have. She brings a warm, conversational tone – and even a few laughs – so the content goes down so easily.

I appreciate that this book is pragmatic and relatable. The tools offered are ones that I can use in the simplest of situations (like trying to figure out where to go out to eat when I am with a friend) to the more complex (navigating tricky relationship issues) – and they are simple enough that I actually use them more often than I thought I would. Additionally, I found the personal stories the author offered as examples truly helped me to understand how to implement these boundary tools in my own life.

Finally, the author never poises herself as the exemplar of perfect boundaries, and that allowed me to feel the freedom to be on my own journey, mistakes and all, to healthy relationships. I feel certain that this book will be one that I grab off the shelf time and time again, with pleasure!

[Nona Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading

For any body who struggles to set boundaries this book is a guide to gently, and firmly, live with integrity.

[Ember James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much

I love the idea of the red/yellow/green lists. It will definitely come in handy when determining how to react to certain things. It also gave me areas in my life I should probably think about making changes so I can do better overall.

[Natalie Foote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book:4* I started reading this book last year with the author as part of a book group she facilitated. Now about a year later ~ I have finally finished reading it. This book is designed in a digestible way to reflect on boundaries tools, along with true reflection and vulnerability from the author Kari.
The concepts of higher council, focusing on your green lists, bingo cards and addressing your monsters, will be something I can come back to overtime. If you’re looking for a tactile book to support your own reflection in setting boundaries this one would be it.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kari eliminates so many layers of doubt or shame that arise while doing self-evaluations of our behaviors. Her personal stories sprinkled throughout the entire book convey a message of, "I've been there, too... it's ok and part of the human condition". This reassurance acts as an invitation to dive deeper into the work we can all do to evolve into brighter and more confident versions of ourselves, creating stronger and powerful relationships.

[Carly Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes you stop, think and evaluate certain relationships, choices and decisions. I enjoyed the thought process behind creating boundaries woven throughout the book. Definitely one to pick up and read multiple times!