How to give someone space?

[Broken21]

I struggle with this a lot, like I can give them space but then I start to worry about them too much and feel the need to talk to them.

Do you ask your friends for space? What are some things you expect from them? Is it annoying when they don't leave you alone? How do I know it's not a cry for help? When do I know when it's alright to talk to them again?

Even when I say I personally need space I still want to talk to them. It's so conflicted..

Any feedback would be much appreciated

Hugs xx

 

[may71]

Sorry that you are having trouble in your friendship

It might help if you make a post in "my story" and give some of the background information

Have you tried getting therapy?

When someone asks for space, it might help to define exactly what space means. It might mean that they want to wait to get in touch with you until they are ready.

 

[Claire_from_Canada]

When someone asks for space, it might help to define exactly what space means. It might mean that they want to wait to get in touch with you until they are ready.

Yes, that's what I mean by it. I'll let you know when/if I want to talk. If someone said that to me, I would ask them to reach out for me when they were ready, and then try to leave them alone. But it would also depend on what's going on in their life and how often we talked before that request was made. If we talked daily and something significant was happening (eg a funeral, divorce, etc) I would wait a few days and then call or text them just to let them know I was thinking about them. If we were the kind of friends that only talked every few weeks, and something less significant was happening in their lives (eg moving across town, a relative getting married, etc) I would probably wait a couple of months before reaching out to them. In either scenario, I do not bug them with repeated messages. I leave one message letting them know that I am there if they need me.

 

[BarryW]

I don't remember ever asking anyone to give me space. But if someone asked me that, I would probably take it to mean that either they are trying to focus on something and i am preventing them from doing that, or I pissed them off and they want me to go away for a bit.
P.S. Just noticed this is April thread, oops

 

[Jose Schaefer]

Let them enjoy and spend their time.