Before recovery, I didn’t even know what boundaries were — let alone how to set them. I thought love meant overextending. I thought forgiveness meant tolerating abuse. And I thought saying “no” would mean I’d be rejected, abandoned, or seen as selfish. In early sobriety, I realized that my lack of boundaries was keeping me stuck in cycles of guilt, burnout, and trauma. I had to learn — often the hard way — that healing requires protection. That peace doesn’t just come from quitting substances or leaving toxic relationships. It comes from learning how to say: This is okay. This is not. Boundaries helped me rebuild my identity. They gave me space to grieve, to grow, and to finally feel safe — in my own skin, and in my relationships. And while it’s still a practice, not perfection, I no longer feel guilty for protecting my healing. If you’re learning how to set boundaries in your recovery journey — with family, friends, work, or even yourself — I would be honored to walk beside you as you practice saying yes to yourself.