Practical and easy to understand, with tons of examples and exercises to help you figure out how to put things into practice in your own life. Covers many different situations involving people from your family, workplace, friends, even children. Very useful book that I will no doubt refer to over and over again.

In the better boundaries workbook Sharon Martin gives helpful and practical tips to setting better boundaries and upholding them so if you're like me that was struggling with boundaries. This book is for you

I struggle with strong, healthy boundaries and I let other people’s unhealthy boundaries interfere with what I really want. This was fantastic to read and go over. I will use this a lot in the future. I have plenty of room for improvement. I love the idea of a workbook instead of just a quick read. I also enjoyed the newly presented information.

Great book! Able to implement strategies hear, written in a relatable style. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts

Excerpts:

"Since boundaries help define us as individuals, they also make clear that we’re responsible for our own thoughts, feelings, actions, words, and bodies—but we’re not responsible for things we can’t control, namely how other people feel and what they do. And as you saw with Freddy and Maria, unclear boundaries can lead to blaming and expecting someone else to solve your problems. When there are healthy, appropriate boundaries, everyone takes responsibility for their own feelings and actions."

Have you ever felt like someone else was driving your car or pushing your life in their direction? We've all been there. I certainly had my share of relationships that were less than ideal due to the lack of boundaries. Much of mine came from a lack of self-confidence and a lack of self in general. Who was I and what did I want. 

This workbook will help you establish just that. A framework has to be laid before boundaries can be set and you have to be firm in your lines because people will push them, from family, friends, and even your employer.

We have to do work on ourselves first in order to set boundaries. The workbook will help you ask those hard questions and get to know yourself better. This will allow you to slowly form what the boundaries are in all areas of your life. 

The book contains written exercises and online resources. She also suggests you keep a journal and as you dig deeper into where your lines are you may want to see a therapist to help you sort the answers out. 

Setting boundaries is about establishing the framework of healthy relationships and Sharon provides all the tools backed with a CBT-based program to accomplish this. 

The book is laid out well and is easy to follow. I would recommend it to anyone even if you think you have boundaries established in your life. You may find there are some areas of improvement to be made. 

Stars

I give it 5 stars!

As someone who has always struggled with setting boundaries out of fear of coming across as mean or bossy, this workbook has been enlightening. I haven’t worked through all of the exercises yet, but the ones I have allowed me to reflect on ways in which not setting boundaries has been detrimental to my personal and professional relationships. I’m looking forward to working through these exercises while implementing changes in current relationships, as well as setting boundaries from the get-go in future relationships. For formatting, i’d recommend downloading the PDF instead of the kindle version of this book.

This is one of the best self-help books I've ever read, and I make it a point to read several books in this genre each year.

The Better Boundaries Workbook is full of practical information and guidance to help you understand the importance of having boundaries, how to set effective boundaries, how to communicate them, and how to handle violations, how to fine-tune them. It discusses how to set boundaries with the wide variety of people in your life: children, friends, colleagues, employees, bosses, family, and significant others. This is a workbook, with plenty of opportunities to explore using the information in your own specific situations.

I can't think of anyone who wouldn't benefit in some way from reading this book. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and New Harbinger Publications, Inc for permitting me to read an ARC of this book which is scheduled to be published on 11/1/21. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Who doesn't have a hard time setting boundaries? Everyone should check this book out! This book walks you through how to construct a really great boundary, it is a manual that every adult should use. I am very excited to continue applying things I learned from this book into my daily life.

Sharon Martin's "The Better Boundaries Workbook" is a gift to those struggling to be confident, set limits, and and ultimately be congruent. Any person reading this will propel them into a healthier self and healthier and more honest and connective relationships. I highly recommend this book!

What a great book and I cannot wait to utilize some of the strategies I learned with my clients in therapy. Highly recommend!

I received an arc to read and review.
As someone with boundary issues, I found this book to be insightful, helpful, and gave me better ideas on how to handle my life.
I highly recommend for anyone with boundary problems.
#netgalley #thebetterboundariesworkbook

The Better Boundaries Workbook by Sharon Martin uses a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach, incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion, to help readers establish boundaries to function better in relationships. The author is a psychotherapist, and if you’re into mental health on Pinterest, you’ve probably come across some of her pins.

The book begins with a look at what boundaries are, as well as common misconceptions about them, e.g. that they’re selfish. It then explores factors that can contribute to difficulties with boundary-setting, including dysfunctional families and feelings of fear and guilt.

In part 2, the author describes a 4-step process for boundary-setting, which consists of clarifying, identifying, implementing, and fine-tuning. There are also tips for effective communication, like using I statements and making clear requests, as well as a range of different suggestions on how to say no. There’s clarification around areas that might get confused, like compromise vs. conceding when it comes to negotiating boundaries.

Part 3 covers boundary issues in specific contexts, including at work, with your partner, with children, and with difficult people. Part 4 looks at boundaries with yourself, and the author gives lots of good tips for managing boundaries with technology.

I’ve reviewed a number of self-help workbooks from New Harbinger Publishers, and on the book-workbook spectrum, this was one of the more workbook-leaning ones. There are lots of prompt questions and room to write.

The book is more about prompting you to think things through for yourself rather than guiding you by the hand, which may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you’re looking for. In the chapter on boundary violations, for example, so examples of challenging scenarios were given as a lead-in to prompt questions, but the scenarios themselves weren’t worked through. I thought it might have been helpful to give example answers for some of the prompt questions based on the scenarios.

I think if you’re looking mostly for a book to read about boundaries, you might find yourself wanting more than what this book gives you. However, if you’re wanting to put in the effort and reflection to go through all of the exercises, I think this book would be a really good choice. This is certainly an important topic that tends to be challenging for a lot of people. The author’s approach is warm and supportive, and she does a really good job of clarifying what boundaries are and what they aren’t. Overall, I would say it’s a good book, and whether it’s right for you or not just depends on what you’re looking for.



I received a reviewer copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

This was the book I needed, but didn't know it until I started reading it.

I personally have set up bad boundaries for myself and it has taken years for me to figure them out. I was being used by so called "friends", my bosses, etc. all the time. This book really helped me to figure out more of them in an easier fashion than the way I was doing things. I also really needed and enjoyed the sections about children. I have a five year old who is already pushing boundaries as much as she can. This book is a great tool with so much useful information, be ready to take some notes and highlight areas along the way.

As someone who is deeply impacted by all my relationships, I felt like this book gave me the opportunity to tackle boundaries in a healthy, loving way.

I am looking forward to implementing the information in the book into my life, and I am hoping that this book is as helpful to others as it has been to me.

I’ve read many books that deal with boundaries but this one was by far the most practical and comprehensive. This provided concrete action steps and reflective prompts towards building boundaries. I will definitely purchase!

Thanks to net galley for this ARC in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.

An excellent book outlining what boundaries are, why they are important, and how to build better boundaries in all aspects of your life. And, without the religious baggage of the often recommended books by Henry Cloud.

The Better Boundaries Workbook is perfect for anyone who is learning how to set them or struggling to maintain them. I am an avid therapy attendee, I swear by it, and I cannot wait to buy this for my therapist to check out. This would be a wonderful gift for a friend that wants to become more assertive!
All opinions are my own, thank you to Netgalley and New Harbinger Publications for this arc ebook.

The Better Boundaries Workbook by Sharon Martin is a valuable reference guide for teaching readers how to handle difficult people and situations, manage time and technology and implement a plan for communication, self-management, and setting boundaries. It offers a wealth of information that showcases various scenarios with practical solutions.

Martin sets the tone with the statement: “When you set boundaries, you assert your individuality,” an excellent premise for a self-help workbook. She outlines the workbook into four parts: Introduction to Boundaries, Setting Effective Boundaries, Practicing Boundary Skills with Others, and Practicing Boundary Skills with Yourself. The author provides a wide range of topics from dealing with dysfunctional families, practicing grounding, and achieving compromise.

There was so much good information packed into this workbook with practical tools, charts, tips, and space to add your thoughts and ideas. In addition, there was a summary paragraph at the end of each chapter. I specifically loved the box on More Ways to Say No. I highly recommend this workbook as a guide for managing yourself, people, workplace situations, and social media. I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review it. #TheBetterBoundariesWorkbook #NetGalley #SelfHelp