Isabella Chase
Women are expected to be nice.
It’s as if it’s their duty to care for others— to always be agreeable and cooperative, to be understanding no matter what.
Most of them are happy to do all of that especially if you show them love and respect.
But if you take them for granted for too long?
Watch out!
They won’t take it lightly.
Even the nicest and most understanding woman would call you out and set empowering boundaries the moment they realize you’re actually treating them unfairly.
Here are 10 empowering boundaries of women who are sick of being taken for granted.
1) They no longer try to be the “bigger person”
When a woman feels loved and supported, she won’t mind doing the heavy lifting in her relationships.
In fact, she’d gladly do it!
She’d act like the more mature one, the leader, the problem-solver. She’d always initiate communication and she’d try to find ways to make things work.
But if her needs are taken for granted for so long? She’d quit playing that role!
She’d stop caring so much…because why should she?
If the ship is sinking, she’ll now just let it sink!
Well, you can’t blame her.
Why does she have to be the bigger person when she gets very little in return?
She’d rather just chill, let things be, and focus on herself instead.
2) They stop being your sidekick
Women are usually loyal and supportive.
They’re your cheerleader mom, your girl bestie who always shows up to help you, your aunt who’s always willing to lend you money for your projects.
But when they can clearly see that you’re taking them for granted?
They’d start setting limitations.
If they used to give you 100% and now they only give you 30%, pause. Ask yourself if you’ve been taking them for granted for too long.
Empowered women are naturally generous. But they don’t ever want to feel like you’re simply using them.
They’d stop saying “I’ve got your back. We can do this!” and just let you do your thing all by yourself.
3) They stop going out of their way to rescue you
They’re always there for others.
If you’re their bestie and you call them crying because your boyfriend cheated on you, they’d drop everything to comfort you.
If you’re their partner and you have a very important meeting the next day, they’ll help you finish your powerpoint presentation. They’d even cancel their night out with friends.
But if you’ve been taking them for granted for so long—if you won’t even thank them for the things they do—don’t expect them to remain your hero!
Once they’re fed up, they’d stop acting like everyone’s savior. They’d save themselves instead.
4) They stop going above and beyond to make you happy
If they’ve always been a hard-working employee, and you don’t give them credit or a raise for what they do, well…don’t expect them to remain the same.
They’ll still do their job, of course.
But they won’t stay beyond 5pm to help around anymore.
They won’t suggest things that could improve your projects anymore.
And they’d say “no” to the things that could have helped your company because they know it’s not part of their job.
In other words, they’ll just do what’s expected from them—nothing more.
They know that their time and talents are precious…and they’d only give them to people who know their worth.
5) They stop being too generous
If all you do is take and take, and you rarely give…they of course notice it.
Most women are kind and generous, but they’re not naive or blind to the things you do (or don’t do).
If the only time you message them is when you need something from them, well…don’t expect them to just continue giving and giving.
They’d go “wait a minute, this isn’t right.” and start setting boundaries so you won’t abuse them.
Women are very sensitive when people are simply using them, and they’d not think twice of setting firmer boundaries when they realize you’ve been taking her for granted for a while.
6) They de-prioritize their relationship with you
If they’re your mother, sister, or friend, they truly give you all their love.
They always ask you how you are, they set dates and holidays, send gifts, and do 1000 other things that can make you feel truly special.
And if they’re your partner, they always make you feel like you’re their number one priority—even when they’re busy with their career.
If you’ve been taking them for granted for just a little while, they’ll understand.
But if it’s become your pattern, they won’t remain the most loving and most loyal woman in your life.
They’ll deprioritize the relationship!
If they used to reply to your messages at the speed of light, they might not do that anymore.
If they used to be the sweetest friend who’d give cookies for no reason, they might stop doing that for a while.
7) They say “no” on the things they used to say “yes” to
Especially if you ask them favors out of the blue!
They probably never did this if you still have a good relationship—in other words, if you didn’t take them for granted.
But since your relationship changed, they had to change how much they’re willing to give to you, too. That’s just fair and wise.
So if they don’t like to say “yes” to your requests for WHATEVER reason, they’d say “no” and not feel bad about it.
It’s nice to see women setting clear boundaries and sticking to them…it’s a sign that they know their worth.
8) They stop making a big deal of your advice and opinions
If you’re their parent or friend and you’ve been MIA for a while, don’t expect that they’d be okay if you give them unsolicited advice!
They might say “Sorry, I don’t want to hear it.” or “I’d rather not talk about this. I’m good.”
Well, you do deserve it.
You’ve checked out from their life so you don’t have any say on their business!
Yes, they used to value your opinions a long time ago—they even let you choose what color they should paint their wall.
But if you’ve been taking them for granted for a while, of course you lose the role you used to play in their life.
9) They don’t let others drain their energy
When they realize they’re truly not important to someone, they won’t allow them to emotionally and mentally affect them anymore.
They say “no” to emotional dumping.
They say “no” to drama and toxic confrontations.
They say “no” to tantrums and meltdowns.
Why would they let others take away their peace of mind when they’ve been taking them for granted?
10) They don’t let others have a “say” on their happiness
Once they realize that some people don’t really care about them, they won’t let them have any control on their happiness anymore.
If they used to ask permission to do things, they now just go ahead and do them!
If they used to consider others on their life decisions—whether it’s moving to another state or thinking of what to have for dinner—they’d just follow their gut.
They have now reclaimed their own power and they won’t let others dictate how they should live their life anymore.
Final thoughts
Women are generally nice.
But the empowered ones have their limits.
If you repeatedly take them for granted, they’d realize that it’s not their duty to be accommodating of everyone’s needs.
And so they start setting boundaries.
And this isn’t just some passive-aggressive move so you’ll start valuing them again, not at all!
In fact, they’re actually happy you ignored them because it has taught them to value and prioritize themselves more.
