Without boundaries in the workplace, the convert to working from home means an inability to ever stop working.

She has just penned a new book, The Joy of Being Selfish, to teach readers about reclaiming your life through the art of boundaries.The practical side of self-love, creating and upholding strong boundaries will teach others how to treat you, rid your life of drama and toxic relationships and allow you to love yourself and others in the best way possible. It was born out of the fact that back in 2017, I had set a New Year’s resolution to start saying 'no' when I meant it (without justifying! The book veers off into women-specific issues regularly, and other 'staples' such as gaslighting exes, fat-shaming friends and patriarchal white men all get their time in the sun. The first boundary that was essential for surviving lockdown, with some sort of a mental health intact, was boundarying how many conversations about Coronavirus you were willing to have. Although Michelle avoids specific parenting guidance, she does repeat that her advice applies to everyone in your life ‘with no exceptions’ She follows with a ‘2 strikes and you are out’ rule and backs that with ‘family can be excluded from your life too’ family should have no special treatment apparently.

It felt awkward and clumsy at first, but towards the end of the year, it became second nature and she’s still following the rule today. But first you have to believe you deserve to put yourself first, stand up for yourself and set boundaries. However, in a way that might be a good thing, because someone who is prone to having their boundaries pushed will likely go too much for those elements already, and a good dose of harshness might be just what is needed.Choosing to have a conversation about something that matters to you can initially be difficult, and no one can guarantee that every conversation will work out perfectly.

Michelle Elman, writing simply and explicitly, has outlined clearly how to go about setting your own boundaries and personalising the process. Michelle’s sense of empowerment and self-love and self-care is so palpable you can actually use it as bricks and mortar to build better boundaries for yourself.By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. After the stresses of the pandemic, many people crave self-care, but are still reluctant to prioritize their own needs, said Michelle Elman, author of the new book, “ The Joy of Being Selfish: Why you need boundaries and how to set them. That’s why I believe selfishness is important and 2020 was the year that proved that without boundaries, you will burn out. Right now, working from home and skyrocketing anxiety over job losses means the normal boundaries between our work lives and our private lives have been largely been eroded. The part of the book I enjoyed the most was where the author listed simple replies to comments clearly meant to manipulate, guilt-trip or otherwise derail attempts at boundary-setting.