As someone who considers themselves as an introverted empath, setting boundaries has always been difficult for me. With today’s world be one of “instant response and gratification,” there are expectatjons that e-mails are to be read and responded to instantaneously, phone calls are always urgent- even if we don’t recognize the number, and notifications on our phones/wearables are more important than the conversation we were in the middle pf. I have often felt guilty for not answering an email right away, fearful that the person who sent it will be disappointed in me if I don’t answer them. While this might not always be true, these are the feelings I have regularly. It is extremely exhausting.
Recently, I have done quite a bit of reflecting on life balance. I’ve been putting my phone on “sleep” mode at night so I don’t have to worry about notifications in the middle of the night; I’ve been using “do not disturb mode” more on my phone when I’m at the gym or composing; I’ve even removed an email address from my phone so I can limit my time to that particular role. When I’m on the baseball or soccer field watching my son play, I only answer the phone if my wife or parents call. This was not easy to do, but I think that as I become more comfortable with my own feelings, the more balanced I will become.