How close-talkers, sneezing toddlers, and that dude on the plane are making you sick (nope, not germs)

My son came home with a cold last week and sneezed right in my face. Gross, I know. I wiped my face and reminded him to cover next time he sneezes. “OK, mom”, he said, but a few minutes later I took a quick step backward as his head tipped back and his nose scrunched into a tell-tale sign of a sneeze coming on. He’s little and still learning about covering his nose and controlling his body and his own space. He’s not the only one, though. As a yoga teacher, I see this all the time; people have no idea where their body is in space. Kids and grown ups alike can use some work on this personal space thing. If you haven’t been sneezed on recently, whether by a toddler or another shopper at the store or somebody on the bus, maybe you’ve been at a party and had somebody come up and talkRightInYourFace. That close. And every time you took a step back, they stepped with you, ignoring your silent plea, “Dude, I need some space here!” Or you’re crammed into one of those tiny seats on a plane and the person next to you has fully embraced the armrest. Before you know it there’s an elbow in your side. It reminds me of a torturous version of being a kid, when your brother reached out toward you taunting “I’m not touching you,” and you yelled, “Mom, he’s on my side!” Your side. Of an imaginary line dividing the car. Invaded. Sounds like kid stuff, but really, those imaginary lines matter. We all have physical boundaries. They start with our physical body, but they extend around us into that area we call “personal space.” And when somebody invades it, whether it’s a sneeze to the face or a jab to the ribs or a waving hand just to annoy us, or sometimes worse—we feel it. When those physical boundaries—like any of our boundaries—are broken, it starts to break us down. We experience chronic head colds, chronic pain, chronic fatigue. We’re frustrated in relationships and feel unbalanced and depleted. Sure, in that direct hit to the face, germs might be the cause of my next head cold, but if the cold keeps coming back, there’s something else going on. It’s time to strengthen boundaries. We protect our physical boundaries when we turn away from a sneeze. We strengthen our boundaries when we step back to gain a little space, ask somebody to politely move the arm jabbing into our side. We assert our physical boundaries when we choose how to say hello or goodbye (don’t feel like a hug today? that’s ok—for your kids too). We set our physical boundaries, when we say in words or actions, “You’re in my space.” How are your physical boundaries? Try these three boundary tips to help get in touch with your physical boundaries. Then join me this Wednesday, October 28, for Boundaries: Honoring the Real You in a Demanding World.This free, one-hour call will help you assess your boundaries (there’s a snazzy pdf you’ll receive once you register), the signals you are sending and receiving (and might not even be aware of), and how to get your mojo intact so you can live your happiest, healthiest, and most purposeful life...in the real world!Sign up here -->http://eepurl.com/bBYDlbI’d also love to hear your stories in the comments and what you did (or wish you did) to re-establish a boundary that was violated.