2015: 31 Days of Setting Healthy Boundaries

Welcome to #write31days 2015! 

Every year in October writers all across the globe gather to write. You pick a topic and write about it every day. And then you link up with thousands of others.
It is a challenge, yes. But it’s also an immense blessing. It’s like a bootcamp for your writing, your words become sharper, more precise, more powerful.
Writing a post a day gives you the opportunity to really dig into a topic, explore different features, and ask some of the hard questions.

My topic this year is “Setting Healthy Boundaries.“

button bigI guess we all know what it means to just get caught up in life. We feel like on a rollercoaster, going up and down without a possibility to escape. We work, we do household chores. We engage in relationships. We give and we take. And sometimes we feel like we’re all burned out. Like we’ve got nothing left to give.
In the midst of this craziness Jesus says:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10 (ESV)

This is some hard truth! Life often doesn’t seem to be abundant – it feels more like existing. Dragging yourself along, from one day to the next, from one vacation to the next. It’s functioning, but it’s not the abundance Jesus has promised us.
How do we find more abundance in our lives? 
How can we set boundaries to protect our souls from drying up and to preserve the good that’s already there?

The last two years have been my personal struggle with boundaries. As I transitioned (and still do) out of college and into working life, as I mature into adulthood, as I learn more and more on my faith journey, I have to discover who I am. And more importantly, who I am not. I have to develop the courage to say NO to the wrong things in order to find the freedom to say YES to the right things. 

Setting boundaries is not just a topic for people in leadership or a certain age group. It’s a habit we all need to establish and practice. The more we do that, the more we’ll experience life – real, abundant life – coming back to us.
So I invite you to come along for this journey. Let’s learn what boundaries are and why it is so important to set them. Let’s let go of some lies we believe about setting boundaries and take first steps towards more abundance in our lives.
The easiest way to tag along is by subscribing and you’ll get every new post straight to your inbox!

I am no professional psychologist and will mostly share from my own experiences and reading. This series should not just be about me talking, so I encourage you to get involved by asking questions, commenting, or sharing your own stories!

Some resources that might help you along the journey:
Food for your soul:
Cloud&Townsend. Boundaries.
Buchanan. The Rest of God.
Shelley Miller. Sabbath Society.

Food for your body:
Sorted Food. Delicious recipes with a side of videos and British humor!
OneIngredientChef. Vegetarian and vegan food you can’t resist to cook yourself!

Here are the links to the individual posts:
Welcome to My Life
Family [Five Minute Friday] 
The Breakdown
Sabbath
Family Ties
Work to Live – Live to Work?
Friendships at a Junction
Everything for the Kingdom
Trust [Five Minute Friday]
The Person in the Mirror
Sabbath
Natural Boundaries
Physical Boundaries
Biblical Boundaries
“There’s No one Else”
Green [Five Minute Friday] 
Work First, Rest Later
Sabbath
“I don’t want to drive others away” 
“I Am Selfish”
Keep Your Balance
Boundaries at Home
Joy [Five Minute Friday] 
Boundaries at Work
Sabbath
Boundaries with Friends
Boundaries at Church
Set Yourself Boundaries
Make Rest a Habit
Bacon [Five Minute Friday] 
Two Years Later

41 thoughts on “2015: 31 Days of Setting Healthy Boundaries”

  1. Pingback: Why “I Don’t Care” Is Not Enough
  2. Pingback: This Is Not What My Life Was Supposed to Be Like (On Turning Thirty)
  3. Pingback: 10 Encouraging Bible Verses to Ease Depression
  4. Pingback: Listen to the Little Things – this.is.katha
  5. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 31 Two Years Later | this.is.katha
  6. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 30 Bacon | this.is.katha
  7. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 29 Make Rest a Habit | this.is.katha
  8. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 28 Set Yourself Boundaries | this.is.katha
  9. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 27 Boundaries at Church | this.is.katha
  10. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 26 Boundaries with friends | this.is.katha
  11. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 25 Sabbath | this.is.katha
  12. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 24 Boundaries at Work | this.is.katha
  13. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 23 Joy | this.is.katha
  14. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 22 Boundaries at Home | this.is.katha
  15. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 21 Keep Your Balance | this.is.katha
  16. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 20 “I Am Selfish” | this.is.katha
  17. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 19 “I Don’t Want to Drive Others Away” | this.is.katha
  18. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 18 Sabbath | this.is.katha
  19. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 17 “Work First, Rest Later” | this.is.katha
  20. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 16 | this.is.katha
  21. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 15 “There’s No One Else” | this.is.katha
  22. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 14 Biblical Boundaries | this.is.katha
  23. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 13 Physical Boundaries | this.is.katha
  24. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 12 Natural Boundaries | this.is.katha
  25. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 11 Sabbath | this.is.katha
  26. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 10 The Person in the Mirror | this.is.katha
  27. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 9 Trust | this.is.katha
  29. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 8 Everything for the Kingdom | this.is.katha
  30. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 7 Friendships at a Junction | this.is.katha
  31. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 6 Work to Live – Live to Work? | this.is.katha
  32. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 5 Family Ties | this.is.katha

  33. Great topic, Katha! Also, for purely selfish reasons, I’m thrilled to see that you’ve switched over to WordPress. For some reason, my computer refuses to let me comment on Blogger websites anymore, and I was always frustrated when I couldn’t leave a comment for you after reading one of your posts! Always nice to see you linked up for Five Minute Friday. Hope you enjoy writing for 31 Days!

    Reply
  34. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 4 Sabbath | this.is.katha
  35. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 3 The Breakdown | this.is.katha
  36. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 2 | this.is.katha
  37. Pingback: [#write31days] Day 1 Welcome to My Life | this.is.katha

  38. Yes! This is such an excellent topic! I have stretched and grown in this area but still have so far to go. I am writing about The Hope Toolbox: Practical Help for Depression and Sadness, and I will certainly put a link to your series on my blog, because I think setting good boundaries is a key element in this area. I can’t wait to read along.

    Reply

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