Hello friends, it's Rosie. Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Tuesday. So I was thinking

about a time when I had to set some boundaries with someone really close to me, my dad.

And for anyone who's gone through it, you know that setting boundaries can be tough.

Whether it's breaking away from a toxic friend, a difficult family member, or even letting

your boss know that you won't be available after six, setting boundaries takes a lot of

energy. But it's worth it. Especially if those boundaries improve your mental health.

So what do you do when someone's creating tension for you? How do you deal with people that

you love who make you feel energetically drained? Today, I'll share how I've been able to draw

boundaries and I'll give you some tips on how you can do it too.

My dad is the most emotional person I've ever met in my entire life in the best way. He

is just so loving and my dad's the type of person that would take his shirt off his

back for somebody in need. He's also the most codependent person I've ever met in my

entire life. When my parents separated, I was 10 and I became my dad's therapist. I shouldn't

have been privy to the inner workings of my parents' relationships or how he felt about

her. And I just always felt the responsibility to make my dad happy.

My dad always drank, so I didn't think that his use of alcohol was ever an issue until

I got older and I started going to therapy and I started to see how his bouts of intoxication

would create this different person that I didn't know. I finally decided to set a boundary

with my dad when he called me in the midst of one of his drunken escapades. I answered

and I was just telling him that I was on my way to this work event and I didn't have the

time to take his call and he just unloaded on me. He was so angry and he had never been

mean to me in my entire life. And although he wasn't cursing at me, his energy and his demeanor

...