The Set Boundaries Workbook: Practical Exercises for Understanding Your Needs and Setting Healthy Limits

by Nedra Glover Tawwab

An accessible, step-by-step resource for setting, communicating, and enforcing healthy boundaries at home, at work, and in life

We all want to have healthy boundaries. But what does that really mean – and what steps are needed to implement them in our daily lives? Sought-after therapist and relationship expert Nedra Glover Tawwab presents clear explanations and interactive exercises to help you gain insight and then put it into action. Filled with thought-provoking checklists, questions, writing prompts, and more, The Set Boundaries Workbook is a valuable tool for everyone who wants to speak up for what they want and need, and show up more authentically in the world.
 

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Mental Health, Relationships, Communication, Personal Development

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2021

About the author

Therapist, NYT Bestselling Author, and Relationship Expert.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended by a friend months ago, but none of my libraries had it so I had to "recommend" they purchase it. I tried Set Boundaries, Find Peace by the same author but it didn't resonate with me. So I was so happy when one of my libraries finally bought this book this week, and I read it through in a day. As the title states, this book has helpful, practical exercises while still offering insightful reminders on why boundaries are important and how to navigate relationships with friends, family members, partners, etc. (See my highlights for some of my favorites). Highly recommend.

[Samele Thorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be called "govern yourself accordingly". boundaries aren't always about telling people no, they are about caring for yourself. My absolute favorite sections are "gather yourself" where you have an opportunity to journal what came up for you in that chapter. Nedra helps us walk through guilt, discomfort, and how others respond to our boundary setting. Another great contribution!!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great as a companion to Set Boundaries Find Peace or as a way to get your foot in the boundary door. The subtitle is Practical Exercises for Understanding Your Needs and Setting Healthy Limits and if that doesn’t sum up this book, I don’t know what does. 😏

This book is chock full of great info with prompts and space to reflect and personalize the info for your life, including encouragement to step away and take breaks as needed.

Nedra is a must follow on Instagram, but having a book to access whenever wanted/needed is the cherry on top of her wise sundae.

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Set Boundaries Workbook: Practical Exercises for Understanding Your Needs and Setting Healthy Limits
by Nedra Glover Tawwab
3h 15m narrated by the author, 224 pages
related to Set Boundaries Find Peace

Genre: Self Help > Personal Development; Nonfiction, Psychology > Counseling; Relationships, Health > Mental Health, Family

Features: Therapy, Journaling, Checklists, Codependency, Emotions, Exercises, Cognitive Distortion, Boundary Violations

Quotes: "Boundaries teach others how to exist in a relationship with you."

"Things That Lead to Burnout : Listening to people complain about the same things over and over."

Rating as a movie: PG

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

My thoughts: When I was reading Set Boundaries Find Peace I was saying it would be awesome with a workbook. This isn't exactly that. This is more like a follow-up to Set Boundaries Find Peace with homework. The author even suggests it can be read as a standalone book. It was fantastic but doesn’t go as deep on boundaries and their roots as the original book. I enjoyed the questions, exercises, and examples. I will be reading this book again since the ebook had a long waiting list so I didn't journal but I did some of the exercises, I mainly focused on the information, which was fat-trimmed meat, not the bare bones you usually get in a workbook. I was too lazy to write quotes. Next time.

Recommend to others?: Yes! I highly recommend this book to others. It's almost like taking a class.

[J. David Knecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good resource for helping people and families set healthy boundaries. Highly recommend. Will use in pastoral care and spiritual direction opportunities.

[Hannah Dnls · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved her main book. Didn’t feel the workbook was necessary or broke it down in smaller steps. Seemed too wordy

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful companion to Set Boundaries, Find Peace

[Angela]

"somewhere along the way, we learn to quiet our desires for the comfort of others. [...] reclaiming your voice is the key to setting boundaries."

a good companion book for Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself. i didn't finish all the prompts. but i do plan on revisiting this workbook in the future.

[Juniper (zilin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book couldn't have come into my hands at a more appropriate time. After getting my life incessantly invaded and betrayed by a Love-Bombing abuser that disguised herself as a friend, it became direly apparent that my boundaries were not as strong or well communicated as I thought.

What is love bombing?
Love bombing is a form of psychological and emotional abuse that involves a person going above and beyond for you in an effort to manipulate you into a relationship with them. It looks different for every person, but it usually involves some form of:

• Excessive flattery and praise.
• Over-communication of their feelings for you.
• Showering you with unneeded/unwanted gifts.
• Early and intense talks about your future together.

Love bombing can happen intentionally or unintentionally. Although it’s most often recognized by romantic partners, your family members and friends can love bomb you, too. -Cleveland Clinic

It's easier to say "No" or draw boundaries with those that present themselves as hostile, such as people who insult or belittle you, but I did not pay enough attention to how those that act overly friendly as a manipulation tactic are still abusers and invaders of boundaries, just in a sugar-coated way. Sure, Love Bombing often strokes one's ego and gives validation for love, but it's far more important to respect yourself and care for yourself by not letting Love Bombers manipulate control over your dependency on their "affection" . I found it difficult to say no or call out the Love Bomber in my life because it felt wrong to deny affection, and foolishly believed that friends have each other's best interest in mind. One thing this book teaches is to never outsource that expectation to others, ONLY YOU are responsible for and can protect your own best interest by creating strong boundaries . Sadly, a lot of times those that do overstep boundaries or use manipulation tactics like Love Bombing are not even conscious that they're being abusive. It's all in the cycle of being an unhealed individual.

In addition, I had the naïve notion that maintaining altruism and compassion on my end was enough for healthy relationships, but now I realize by not being protective of my space, time, and energy, I am inviting chaos and malignant parasites to fester in my life. Drawing clear boundaries is actually more conducive to being kind more effectively as it allows you to attract others who are self-respecting and worthy of being in your life. Boundaries create space for positivity.

Good luck to all who are learning to self-heal and set better boundaries!

[Shanique Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. My thoughts are my own.

If you read Set Boundaries, Find Peace (or didn't) and you're looking for a way to apply these principles to your life, this book is the one for you! In this workbook, you have some practical tools to help you create and maintain good boundaries. Tawwab combines checklists, journal prompts, quizzes, and short answer questions to help you define the kinds of boundaries you may need, the barriers to setting them, and strategies to overcome these barriers. I really loved that there are notes to pause at certain points if moving through the workbook becomes overwhelming at any point.

Like Set Boundaries, Find Peace, this workbook covers boundaries of all kinds, in all areas of life, and includes examples of the types of boundaries that may exist in each area of life. The structure of the book allows you to go as deep into the topic as you may need to, and is likely to be a good book to revisit time and again as you face new challenges in life.

[sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a good resource for personal growth and learning how to set healthy boundaries - something i have absolutely been needing to work on and am currently doing so in and out of therapy!

it's a valuable workbook to have with practical exercises that help with self-reflection and emotional exploration. i liked the structure and most of the exercises. it was easy to engage with the material actively and openly. however, i did find that some sections felt a bit repetitive, which made it challenging to stay fully engaged at times. additionally, certain topics touched on vulnerabilities that I found difficult to confront - which may be my problem LOL. though I recognize the importance of addressing these emotions for personal growth, it just sometimes felt overwhelming. but i get that it's important to address these things - but those i do privately and in therapy, so idk idk .

about to read the book that goes hand in hand with this workbook. will update.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were helpful for me, other parts not as much. It’s really good and teaching how to say no, but I think I was looking more for a book with ideas on what boundaries are generally helpful for most people to set because I’m not exactly sure what I need. But maybe there isn’t a book like that out there because we are all so different! 😆 I do like that it teaches that setting boundaries is kind and good for relationships to be healthy because sometimes I feel sinful or guilty for wanting/expressing boundaries.

[Tasjha Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still working thru the workbook which I've had since its' release date but only recently opened it again but with fresh eyes and more of a commitment to myself. This book is so easy to read, understand and follow. The prompts and questions she asks are insightful and encourages deep reflection and inner work. For me, this workbook is grounded in science but also encourages the reader to become more curious and introspective of their life. I am excited to continue to work thru the book and work thru my own inner world. Thank you Nedra!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This workbook is a great resource to help the reader work through various boundary issues and concepts. There is a mixture of education and prompts to help the reader get started, and it provides a good resource for the reader to look back to when reminding themselves of boundaries they need to set in the future.

[M.W. Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Set Boundaries Workbook receives four stars from me. I enjoyed the second half of it more than the first. And I did most of the exercises. I think it did help me understand what boundaries are and how to express them. By the time it got to the relationship chapter, I had already approached the subject of my boundaries with my Plus 1. It's good stuff here.

[Audrey Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for working through the practical steps (and missteps) of setting and maintaining boundaries. I would suggest not trying to work through the whole thing in a few days/weeks. Take time to think through the work and apply individual chapters before moving on. It makes the book much more practical and useful, in my opinion.

[Calondra M B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook which offered simple no nonsense wisdom in changing your life.
Throughout it stayed on target while combing through aspects that might not have been dealt with personally. I feel relieved in knowing that prior decisions were right in line with the study.
There’s so much work to do. Invest in yourself.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great workbook, with a lot of useful information on knowing what boundaries you need, and practice on how to set and keep them. I'll be revisiting this often to keep the knowledge in mind and keep practicing.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

packed with solid advice

This is a very useful self help book. It is clear and concise in your to deal with boundaries in a variety of situations (family, friends, work, etc). There are also journal prompts to help you write your thoughts out on your journey to a better you

[Stefania · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. A book that finally gave me answers and helped me in finding a way for setting my boundaries and allowing me in start building more healthy relationships.
So happy to have bought it.
And it is on my Kindle library, so it will be always next to me

[Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book as a resource for facilitating a group on healthy boundaries (I’m a therapist) and I highly recommend it. There are plenty of spaces to write out responses and a wide variety of types of boundaries and relationships.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve found on boundaries to date; I especially love whole chapters dedicated to very specific topics. I’ll definitely be recommending this workbook to my psychotherapy clients.

[Georgina · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

Es un buen libro aunque esperaba que diera mucho más contenido que el primer libro,
Básicamente son ejercicios para practicar lo aprendido .

[Heidi Andres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content was useful, but author should not have narrated the audiobook of her text.

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a must read and fill out. Don’t skip unless it doesn’t involve something in your life. Maybe kids don’t work so thats fine. But the rest is much needed.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it really helped to actively apply the principles from the book.

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely life-changing workbook!!

[Jodi Rhoden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and practical, I'm using it with my clients.

[Rish Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This workbook was great! It really gives you a chance to write out and see how well your boundaries are being set. It’s a great way to look at yourself and make changes to be the best you possible

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fill in the blank for thinking. Easy to use and understand