Eyob's Journey: Setting Boundaries to Find Freedom
Episode Overview
Eyob discusses growing up without understanding healthy boundaries. His struggle with codependency led to addiction. The importance of grounding one's identity in something stable. Practical advice on managing time by setting healthy boundaries. Eyob’s faith played a crucial role in redefining his concept of love.
When I rescue, then I'm playing God.
Eyob's journey through codependency and boundaries is both raw and enlightening. He dives into his struggles growing up in a culture that viewed boundaries as offensive, contrasting it with his wife’s Canadian upbringing where personal autonomy was valued. Eyob shares how his lack of boundaries led to addiction and how he eventually found himself in a tangled web of codependent relationships.
Living with his aging parents, wife, kids, and brother, Eyob faces the challenge of setting boundaries in an environment that traditionally doesn’t recognise them. His story takes us through moments of realisation, like when his mother insisted on attending a party despite being ill, highlighting how deeply ingrained these behaviours are. Eyob’s reflections are heartfelt, especially when he discusses how his faith helped redefine his understanding of love and boundaries.
He recounts his initial extreme reactions to setting boundaries, such as isolating himself from everyone at 17, and how that isolation fed into his addiction. Eyob also talks about the importance of grounding one’s identity in something stable— for him, it’s his faith in Christ. He candidly shares how he used people to meet his insatiable needs, mistaking it for love, and how this realisation has been a turning point in his recovery.
His insights on managing time better by setting healthy boundaries are practical and relatable. Eyob’s story is a powerful reminder that true freedom comes from knowing who you are and setting boundaries accordingly. If you’re struggling with codependency or boundary-setting, Eyob’s experiences might just resonate with you and offer some much-needed perspective.