When we truly care about someone, we worry about them naturally. It comes from deep affection and concern for them. When they go through something, we start to worry about their well-being. However, we may sometimes, with no fault of our own, cross a few boundaries. While worrying comes from deep love and affection, crossing boundaries is not a healthy thing to do in any relationship. “Whether it is your partner, your friend, your child, or your sibling, this is a really tricky line to walk. And ultimately, sometimes real love means sharing what is in your heart because you truly care about this person and want what is best for them. That being said, if this person has made it clear that they do not want to be approached about XYZ, respect that boundary to preserve the relationship,” wrote Therapist Aly Bullock.
The Therapist further shared a few ways by which we can communicate our worries for the loved one without offending them in any way:
Things to remember: We should be ready for any kind of reaction when we communicate our worries. Sometimes no matter how many good intentions we have, people can take it in a wrong way and get offended. We should weigh the pros and cons and then decide on communicating our concerns.
When to approach: We should select a good time to address the concerns. We should ensure that we are not tired, or frustrated or angry at something. We should also be curious instead of being judgmental.
Curiosity vs judgement: When we start to be curious instead of being judgmental, we instantly open our minds to possible scenarios and get more acceptable to understanding their perspectives. This helps in finding common ground.
Open conversations: instead of trying to find solutions right away, we should open the door to further discussions by sharing our concerns.
