Setting Boundaries

When your partner is continually treating you in a manner you find disrespectful, how do you handle it? Do you ask them stop? Do you throw out "threats" if they don't stop? Do you follow through with your consequences? If you feel like you're constantly asking over and again for your partner to cease the behaviors, but there's no consequences for their actions, then by what reason do they have to stop?

Sometimes, your decision NOT to take any action conveys a message to your partner that you're willing to tolerate (or even accept!) the negative behaviors. So what can you do? First, determine what you're willing to do if your partner treats you in a disrespectful way. Ignore the behavior? Disengage from the situation? And maybe even be willing to leave the relationship if the behaviors are extreme? Second, calmly let your partner know how their behaviors affect you and what you need to do to respect yourself. Then, follow through with what you decide if your partner doesn't respect your boundaries. It may be difficult, but consider this:

Why would someone respect your boundaries if you're not willing to respect yourself first?