Health Matters

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How to set boundaries at work—even when it's uncomfortable

By Angela Haupt

Editor, Health and Wellness

One of the most vivid memories I have of a vacation to Key West 10 years ago is kayaking through the beautiful mangroves—and instead of enjoying the scenery, only paying attention to the work emails blowing up my phone. At the time, I was employed by a company that expected prompt responses even during time off, and I always delivered. But it took a toll.

I didn’t realize it then, but I could have benefited from setting boundaries around work. Psychologists say doing so can help protect workers’ mental health—an urgent matter, if you consider how many people are burned out or plain old fed up with their jobs. In one recent survey, workers described feeling emotionally exhausted, ineffective, and unmotivated, and admitted to being irritable with their coworkers or customers.

One solution could be boundaries. One social worker I talked to defined them as “limits or personal rules that protect your time and energy and allow you to perform at your best.” Setting boundaries can feel uncomfortable—how can you not be available 24/7 to the people signing your paychecks? That’s why experts say it’s key to remove emotion from the equation—and to remember that, with practice, standing up for yourself will get easier.

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ONE LAST READ

Overhauling the stewardship of 12,000 human remains

Around 12,000 human remains will be taken off display at the American Museum of Natural History as anthropologists and administrators revisit the origin and acquisition of the institution’s full remains collection.

It’s a process many museums nationwide have recently undertaken, but a lack of precedent means that repatriation and other solutions for storage and disposal of remains is an ongoing ethical conversation, Zachary Small writes for the New York Times.

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Today's newsletter was written by Angela Haupt and Haley Weiss, and edited by Elijah Wolfson and Angela.