Dear Families,
KNOW YOUR LIMIT teaches us about the importance of setting healthy boundaries by listening to our mind, body, and heart so we live within our limits and thrive. It is important to know your limit and listen to your body. Your body gives warning signs to get your attention when getting close to making an unwise choice; a choice that will push you past your personal limit. When you know your limits and listen to your body it helps you set a healthy boundary for your life so that you can thrive. Talk with your child about the importance of knowing your limits and setting healthy boundaries.
Key Verses:
“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 16:5-6
“‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.’” I Corinthians 10:23
Continue the Conversation at home; here are the main points of this unit:
- Pay attention to your personal limits. Pay attention to the warning signs you feel in your mind, heart, and body when you are pushed past your limit. A decision that is okay for someone else might not be right for you. These indicators will help you to establish personal boundaries.
- Establish healthy boundaries. Healthy boundaries require us to be confident in our own opinions, desires, and needs. Understanding the 5 types of boundaries (material, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) is essential in equipping us to set personal boundaries to help us live within our limits.
- Healthy boundaries = knowing your limits and sticking to them! Discovering our boundaries helps us to know our limits and stay within them so we can thrive. Boundaries are a guideline we establish for how others should treat us.
- Boundaries make room for you to respect yourself and others. As we love and respect ourselves we ought to love and respect others. Boundaries bring awareness of how to respect and love others.
CREATING HEALTHY BOUNDARIES /// Learning to set healthy boundaries in our relationships is an essential life-long skill. When boundaries are healthy, we know our limits. We have boundaries that we can see and others that we cannot see. Here are five personal boundaries that are helpful for us to understand.
Material boundaries: A boundary related to my possessions
Physical boundaries: A boundary related to personal space
Mental boundaries A boundary related to thoughts, values, or opinions
Emotional boundaries: A boundary related to emotions
Spiritual boundaries: A boundary related to experiences in relation to God
PUT IT IN ACTION /// Two core competencies taught in the Know Your Limit unit are social awareness and responsible decision making. Below are signs of these skills in action. When you see your child putting these skills into practice, celebrate their growth and development!
SIGNS OF SOCIAL AWARENESS
Perspective-taking
Empathy
Appreciating diversity
Respect for others
SIGNS OF RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING
Identifying problems
Analyzing situations
Solving problems
Evaluating
Reflecting
Ethical responsibility
COMMUNICATION IS KEY /// Knowing our own boundaries and respecting the boundaries of others helps us to be better friends! As you connect with your student about knowing their limits and creating healthy boundaries, remember that we are here to support you.
Peace,
Marlena Lynn Templet, LMHC, NCC
School Counselor
