How to Help Others Without Destroying Yourself: The 8 Boundaries Every Survivor Needs

You survived hell. You clawed your way out. You rebuilt your life from nothing.

Now people reach out to you. They see your strength and want your help. They share their stories and ask for guidance. They need what you have: proof that survival is possible.

And because you’re a survivor, your first instinct is to give everything you have. To pour yourself out for others the way you wished someone had done for you. To be the person you needed when you were drowning.

Here’s what nobody tells you: the same trauma responses that helped you survive can destroy you when you try to help others.

“The difference between helping and self-destruction isn’t the amount you give. It’s whether you give from overflow or emptiness.”

If you’re a survivor who wants to make a difference without burning out, these eight boundaries will save your life. They saved mine.

Boundary 1: You Are Not Responsible for Other People’s Healing

The first boundary every helper needs to learn: you can share what worked for you, b…