Make room for boundaries

A library of small, usable exercises. Choose a situation, take what helps, and leave the rest. No account, purchase or private answer needed.

50 guides · page 1 of 3

• Agree on when a conversation ends

  Choose a phrase that clearly signals a pause or ending.

• Ask before borrowing personal items

  Name the items that need permission each time rather than relying on a general assumption.

• Ask before sharing good news for someone else

  Treat another person’s news as theirs to announce, even when you are excited.

• Ask for privacy during a call

  Name the space or time you need without disclosing the call’s content.

• Choose a boundary for shared devices

  Agree whether borrowing a device includes access only to the requested app or task.

• Choose a limit for voice messages

  Say what length or timing makes voice messages usable for you.

• Choose how much family detail to share

  Identify what you can discuss about your own experience without exposing someone else’s private situation.

• Choose what stays off social media

  Name which photographs or relationship details need separate permission before posting.

• Decide whether location sharing fits

  Discuss the specific purpose of location sharing and whether a less revealing alternative would work.

• Decline a conversation in the car

  Recognize when a setting limits attention or the ability to pause comfortably.

• Decline a group chat invitation

  Explain your preference about joining another ongoing conversation.

• Decline a plan while preserving warmth

  Combine a clear no with affection only if both statements are true.

• Decline a repeated question

  Acknowledge that you have already answered and state whether the topic is closed for now.

• Decline a shared password request

  State your preference for separate account access without making it an accusation.

• Decline an activity without inventing an excuse

  Give a direct answer when you simply do not want to participate.

• Decline being photographed today

  Give a current preference without having to explain your appearance or mood.

• Decline being the messenger

  State when you do not want to carry a personal message between other people.

• Decline reading another person's draft

  Say when you cannot take on the role of editor or first reader.

• Keep a celebration within your comfort

  State what kind of attention you do and do not want around an occasion.

• Keep a private note out of shared history

  Separate the fact that a moment happened from your unfinished thoughts about it.

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