You’re guilty of having unhealthy boundaries in a relationship, and it can start affecting your life completely. Boundaries are very useful because they act like a “fence” protecting your property. When you have healthy boundaries set up that you stick to, it gives you more freedom to make better choices in your romantic life.

 RELATED: If He’s A Good Man, He Will Pass This Test Every. Single. Time Another advantage to understanding how to set healthy boundaries is that they help you easily recognize others who take personal responsibility and respect themselves, making it easier to zero in and attract (or stay with) the right mate. 

Many women I coach often arrive at my doorstep with a history of unhappiness and dissatisfaction in their past relationships. We end up finding out that they’ve compromised too much at some point to avoid being alone. 



7 Signs You Have Unhealthy Boundaries (That Will Kill Even The Best Relationships)

1. You adjust your life to suit a man’s schedule
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2. You give in to anything that is not aligned with your values
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3. You settle for less than you know you really need or desire
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4. You stay in a relationship that you know is past its deadline
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5. You smother the person you’re dating with excessive needs or control
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6. You go back to a relationship that you know is over
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7. You enter a relationship to avoid being alone

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After a lifetime of dating and having relationships, I have experienced all of these at one time or another. In one relationship I had many years ago, I fell head over heels in love and suddenly found myself in category 3. He was gorgeous, charming, and romantic… and had divorced 4 times, was emotionally unavailable, and still had feelings for his last wife. 

 RELATED: 10 Everyday Things Women Do That Are Major Turn-Offs For Men It was so frustrating because we had a very real, deep connection but he kept (emotionally) going in and out of the relationship. He’d be all in, and then suddenly all out. What I needed and desired was his full attention and commitment, but I kept settling by forgiving his behavior in the hopes he would eventually change. 

After a year of this, I finally rose up and honored myself by ending the relationship. To get you started on the road to honoring yourself, the first thing to do is throw out the list you have of your perfect partner. It likely reads something like this:

 Athletic, perfect body, powerful leader, wealthy, ambitious, fun, witty, smart… I have yet to meet anyone who got divorced or broke up because their partner wasn’t witty enough!. Instead, I want you to get clear and make a list of your preferences and the character of your ideal partner. 

An example of a character trait would be how they treat themselves, you, and those around them. Do they treat waiters like servants or do they treat everyone with respect and a sense of equality?

 Your preferences are your common interests, goals, and values. When you list those out, think about what you could live with in another person and also what you could not live without. Just like the relationship I was in years ago, I got clear that I couldn’t live without a man being emotionally ready for a relationship. Look at your past or present relationships for clues.
 RELATED: How To Cut Ties With Someone Who Is Emotionally Unhealthy For You Kim Sarrasin, The Queen of Hearts, has built her business to become North America’s most sought-after relationship expert. Contact her here. This article was originally published at AttractYourKing. Reprinted with permission from the author.