So many of us were raised in environments with varying degrees of codependence, where each other’s needs and desires were routinely ignored and disrespected. With the help of my therapist, I’m learning to set better boundaries as I get older.
My personal recommendation? Always wear an inflatable T-Rex costume and nobody will even come near you.
Boundaries are really hard to set if you’re not used to doing so. You have to tune into what you want and state your needs to people who might be used to walking all over you. That’s what makes the T-Rex costume so ingenious. I don’t have to explain if I don’t want to be hugged. People simply can’t get to me. If they want to verbally abuse me, I don’t have to explain that I don’t want to be spoken to that way – I just mumble something through my face screen and shuffle away in my T-Rex costume. If someone tries to pressure me to attend an event I don’t want to be at, I just say, “I think I’d look pretty silly there in a T-Rex costume, don’t you think?”
Wearing a T-Rex suit full-time has helped people respect my boundaries more than I ever could have imagined.
Setting boundaries takes practice, and nothing helps you learn better than being constantly asked why you’re wearing a T-Rex costume. But you know what? I’m not apologizing for my needs anymore. I’m just showing up any and everywhere in a T-Rex costume because that’s what I fucking want to do because my life isn’t about you. I learned that in therapy, and also in this very hot costume.
Brené Brown once said, “The only people who get upset when you set boundaries are the ones who benefitted from you having none.” What becomes pretty clear when you’re wearing a T-Rex costume all the time, is that a lot of people have been taking advantage of you. Luckily you’ll know who has your back when they see you rocking a tail and greet you with a simple “Rawr!”
