Hello Bay Community,
Today, the Counseling Team participated in Community Day by presenting on boundary setting and healthy venting vs. emotional dumping. While today’s talks were specifically for the Junior class, the concepts and suggestions are applicable to us all.
Adults and teens alike struggle with how to share and look for support from others appropriately. Some of us have yet to learn these skills, and others may get overwhelmed in the moment and forget how to engage in a thoughtful manner for all involved. Here are some quick takeaways from our talk today, and suggestions on how to engage sensitively with others.
Assess your needs: As you imagine sharing, what are you looking for from the listener? Support, joining, or simply listening? Let the listener know what you need, and first ask if they are available to provide that.
Assess the needs of your listener: Does your listener have the bandwidth to take on the emotional load of what you are sharing? Are you leaving space for the listener to share as well?
Check on the timing: You might have the time to share, but does the listener have the time and capacity to engage with you and the material you are bringing up?. Check in before you share.
Everyone benefits when the rules of engagement are made clear and held firm. Equitable sharing and vulnerability are cornerstones of healthy relationships.
Take care of yourselves and each other,
Suzanne, Christina and Tessa
Bay School Counseling Team
M I N D
B O D Y
S O U L
Sea otters hold hands when they fall asleep so they don’t drift apart. This makes me smile.