Gratitude, Boundaries, and Forgiveness: A Path to Emotional Wellbeing
- Priscilla Schwartzman
- Aug 4
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 4
What You'll Learn About Gratitude, Boundaries, and Forgiveness
How gratitude supports emotional resilience and perspective
The role of boundaries in self-respect and emotional connection
Why forgiveness helps release emotional weight and restore peace
How these three practices work together to support healing and self-trust
Gentle ways therapy can support you through these shifts
Have you ever felt pulled in too many directions, unsure how to say 'enough'? Or carried a heaviness from the past that you can't quite put down? This August, we're exploring three practices that gently shift those patterns, not all at once, but moment by moment.
Gratitude, boundaries, and forgiveness. Each supports emotional wellbeing in a different way, and together, they help us reconnect with peace, clarity, and self-trust.
Gratitude, Boundaries and Forgiveness
💛 Gratitude: The Lens That Changes How We See
Gratitude doesn’t require a perfect life. It invites us to notice what’s already supporting us, a quiet breath, the light moving across a wall, the warmth of a kind word at the right moment. Even in the midst of stress or uncertainty, gratitude helps us reconnect with the parts of life that nourish and steady us.
When we allow ourselves to feel grateful, we become more available to life. It softens resistance, helps us surrender to what’s here, and expands our capacity to receive. Gratitude brings us back into relationship with our environment, our breath, and our own needs. It doesn’t deny difficulty but helps us see it with a wider lens.
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” Eckhart Tolle
Gratitude also makes boundary-setting more intuitive. When we feel nourished and resourced, we’re less likely to abandon ourselves in order to please others.
🌿 Boundaries: The Bridge Between You and What Matters
Boundaries aren’t about shutting people out. They’re how we stay in relationship with others, with our environment, and, most importantly, with ourselves.
When we're overextended, resentful, or quietly depleted, our bodies often ask for a boundary. Listening to that message is an act of self-respect. Boundaries give us the space to return to what feels aligned, without apology.
“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.” Brené Brown
In Gestalt therapy, boundaries are part of healthy contact.
Boundaries help us recognise where we end and the other begins. They define the space between self and other. They allow us to notice our limits and our needs, so we can act with awareness rather than reaction. Boundaries help maintain integrity in our choices, leading to deeper connection inside and out. And when those boundaries are in place, when our nervous system has space to breathe, we may find that forgiveness becomes possible in a new way.
🌸 Forgiveness: The Release That Creates Space
Forgiveness often starts not with forgiving others, but with the quieter, more personal act of forgiving ourselves. It's not about forgetting, excusing, or pretending. It's about choosing to reclaim our energy, to stop carrying what was never meant to be ours for so long.
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Lewis B. Smedes
Forgiveness invites a strength that doesn’t force or fix, a strength that softens, opens, and releases. It asks us to stop clinging to the past just long enough to feel something new. And often, it happens in layers. We might forgive in small ways each day, not once and for all, but over time, like letting light into a room one window at a time.
It's easy to think forgiveness means condoning what happened or letting someone off the hook. But that's not what this is. Forgiveness is for our peace. It's what clears space so we can feel more whole in the present and meet life without the old story shaping every step. And when it's hard for us to forgive, when the hurt feels too sharp, the practices of boundary-setting and gratitude can help anchor us while our hearts catch up.
And when it feels like too much to carry on our own, it's okay for us to seek support that helps us feel held while we heal. Whether that comes from a trusted friend, a spiritual guide, family, or a therapist.
✨ A Personal Reflection
Like many, I’ve experienced a life-shattering rupture with someone I cared about. It was a difficult time but I realised early that forgiving myself was just as important as forgiving the other person. Holding on to anger and hurt wasn’t protecting me; it was weighing me down. When I finally chose forgiveness, a lightness came over me. That’s when healing really began.
It wasn’t a one-time moment. Forgiveness had to be practiced daily, quietly, in the background of everyday life until it eventually became more permanent. And in those moments of release, I found something I didn’t expect: a strength in myself that slowly gave way to trust. First in me. Then, gradually, in others and in life.
That quiet strength didn’t just change how I felt, it changed what I noticed, what I valued, and how I met the everyday. Gratitude helped me tune into joy in the small things, like the quiet in the evening as I sat on the couch with my dogs, watching the sun melt into the sky. Forgiveness helped me lay down the stories that no longer fit.
And boundaries? They became the way I protected all of it. The healing, the softness, the clarity, the space I’ve worked hard to create.
🧘♀️ A Gentle Practice for Today
Here’s a simple, reader- and screen-reader-friendly grounding exercise you can use to return to yourself and the present moment:
Find stillness.
Sit quietly. Let your shoulders relax and soften.
Breathe.
Inhale slowly through your nose, then exhale gently through your mouth.
Notice beauty or comfort.
Bring your attention to three things around you that feel comforting or beautiful.
A sound, a texture, a color, or anything else you notice.
Check in with yourself.
Ask: What is one thing I need right now? What might support or restore me?
Affirm.
Silently or aloud, repeat:
“I honour my energy. I allow in joy. I release what no longer serves.”
Let this gentle ritual be a quiet anchor, a small way to come back to what matters whenever you need it.
💬 How Therapy Can Support You Through This
When we feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in old patterns, therapy can offer us a space to pause and reset. It helps us build awareness of how we relate to others and to ourselves, and what may be quietly asking for change.
Whether we’re navigating forgiveness, learning to set boundaries, or simply looking to reconnect with what brings us peace, working with a qualified therapist can support us to feel more grounded, clear, and aligned.
If you feel ready for gentle support or a fresh perspective, you’re warmly invited to visit Rising Phoenix Counselling to take your next step toward healing and growth.
Key Takeaways
Gratitude shifts focus toward what nourishes and sustains us
Boundaries protect our energy, clarify needs, and deepen relationships
Forgiveness creates emotional space to heal and reconnect
Gratitude, boundaries, and forgiveness often unfold in cycles. Not in a straight line.
Therapy offers a safe space to explore and integrate them at your own pace
📝 Journal Prompt to Take Away
Reflect gently on these questions:
What is one thing you’re ready to honour?
Where could you invite in more gratitude?
What do you feel ready to release?
You don’t need to rush or resolve anything. Let your answers be honest and kind.
FAQs: Gratitude, Boundaries, and Forgiveness
Q: What if I struggle with all of these - gratitude, boundaries and forgiveness?
A: That’s more common than you might think. These practices take time and often feel harder when you're stretched thin or healing from past hurts. Working with someone like Priscilla can help you explore each one gently, with care and curiosity. Therapy offers a space to move at your own pace and reconnect with what matters most.
Q: Do I need to master all three at once?
A: Not at all. These practices often build over time. Even starting with one small shift can have a ripple effect on your wellbeing.
Q: Can therapy help me forgive someone who really hurt me?
A: Yes. Therapy doesn’t push you to forgive before you’re ready, but it can gently support you in understanding your feelings and releasing what no longer serves.
Q: What if setting boundaries feels selfish or rude?
A: Boundaries aren’t about rejecting others. They’re how we honour our own needs so we can show up more fully and sustainably in our relationships.
🔁 Continue the Journey
How are these themes showing up in your life right now?
Leave a comment with your reflection, or share this post if you think it could help someone else.
This blog is the anchor for all three August themes: Gratitude, Boundaries and Forgiveness for Emotional Wellbeing.Feel free to save or send this to someone who may benefit from it today.
Book a free intro call at Rising Phoenix Counselling, or you can also join me @RisingPhoenixCounsellingAu on Instagram, Facebook or Youtube.
