“My friends and I were thinking about going away on a weekend trip. How’d you feel about that?” “It’s been a long day, so I’m just going to play video games by myself for a little while. ” “I have some things I wanted to get done today. Why don’t you go ahead and run those errands without me. ”
“I love seeing you right when I get home, but sometimes work stress makes it tough to have a nice conversation. I’d really appreciate having some me-time for a half-hour after work to help me decompress. ” “I feel like we have such a strong relationship, and I love where we’re at. I’ve let some of my other friendships slip away in the meantime, so I’d really like to find more time to reconnect with them. ” “You mean the world to me, and I feel that it’s important to have time to ourselves every now and then. I’m recognizing that I need a little bit more alone time to get back into my hobbies. ”
“When I say ‘space,’ I mean that I’d like to carve out more free time to focus on my hobbies. ” “I’d like to have a few nights every now and then to go out and get to know my work colleagues. ” “I need an hour or two of quiet time every day so I can read without getting distracted. ”
“I feel drained at the end of my work shift, so I just need a half hour to relax and unwind after. Is that something we can work on?” “I feel a little left out of the loop when I don’t get the chance to see my friends during the week. ” “I feel like I don’t have a lot of creative energy unless I can brainstorm alone, so sometimes I need more space to work on a project. ”
“I’ve always been someone that needs alone time, so I’m not asking because of anything you’ve said or done. ” “I’ve realized that my friendships are really important to me, and I haven’t put enough time into them. ” “I put a lot of energy into my hobbies, and I just want to make sure I keep up with them so I can feel good about myself too.
“Just think, while I’m off doing my thing, you can finally have time to read through those books that you’ve been eyeing up lately. ” “I know our friends are really important to us, so I want to make sure we maintain those connections too. ” “If we’re not together all the time, think of all the fun stories we’ll have for each other the next time we see each other!”
“I just want to see my friend for a couple of hours, but I can’t wait to have dinner with you tonight!” “I really just need 30 minutes after I get home to relax, but after that, I’ll be there for you. ” “I know I want to spend a lot of time working on this project this weekend, but let’s go out on a date this Saturday so we have time together. ”
“You’re still the only one I want to come home to at the end of the day. ” “Even though I want more alone time, it’s only because I want to be the best I can be for you. ” “I’ll still just be a text or phone call away if you need me. ”
If she asks about why you’re just bringing this up, say “Our relationship is getting more serious and I want to make sure we’re both happy and our needs are being met. ” If she asks you for something you’re uncomfortable with, say “My personal space is really important to who I am. Is there any way we can work through this in a way that works for both of us?” If she wants to know how you’ll balance your time, try “What if we planned one night each week where I can see my friends without asking permission first? Would that work for you?”
“I’ve felt a little overwhelmed again recently, so taking 20 minutes or so after work to unwind is really important to me right now. ” “I feel like my boundaries aren’t respected when I ask for personal space recently. Can we talk about it for a bit?” “Can we chat again about personal space? I haven’t felt like I’ve been getting enough recently. ”
