Boundary of the Day: Avoid Guilt-Tripping and Manipulation (Including Gaslighting)
Purpose:
Protect your emotional and mental space by recognizing manipulative tactics and responding in a way that preserves your boundaries.
1. Recognize Manipulative Tactics
- Guilt-Tripping: Makes you feel responsible for their feelings or actions.
- Gaslighting: Makes you doubt your perception of reality.
2. Set Your Internal Boundaries
- Remind yourself: Their manipulation is about control, not truth.
- Your perception and feelings are valid.
- You do not need to justify your boundaries or decisions.
3. Respond Strategically
- Keep responses short, factual, and unemotional.
- Avoid debates about your memory, motives, or feelings.
- Examples of boundary responses:
4. Protect Your Energy
- Pause before responding to manipulative messages.
- Use “read later” or delayed replies to avoid reacting.
- Block or mute if manipulation is persistent.