Hanging on one wall of the Health Resource Center at Reading High is a banner entitled “15 Personal Boundaries for Self- Worth.” I like the title because it highlights a connection between personal boundaries and self-worth. Without personal boundaries, there would be no ‘self’ and thus no self-worth. And while this is important to the well-being of people regardless of gender identity, those who are raised as females often face the greatest boundary/self-worth challenges. Sometimes females are even taught that their entire worth lies in being able to get and keep a man.
Many of today’s youth feel so much pressure to meet unrealistic expectations of perfection that the smallest mistake can feel like a major failure and this feeling can lead them to think they are a failure. Given a chance to talk about these feelings with a supportive adult, they can learn to separate themselves from the outcome of their effort, learning and growing from the experience. If they don’t have anyone to support them through these experiences, the experiences can begin to add up and negatively impact their self-worth. As that happens, it is easy to understand how they may begin to look for things outside of themselves (alcohol, other drugs and/or relationships) to fill the growing emptiness inside.
The good news is, our community is rich with programs and resources that can support our youth to develop healthy personal boundaries and a strong sense of self-worth. For information on community resources or the full list of “15 Personal Boundaries for Self-Worth” contact Nadine: nsmetweiss@cocounty.org or 484-333-4015.
By Nadine J. Smet-Weiss, translation by Ana Villaman
