Boundaries aren’t walls. They’re doors with you holding the key.

A limit you set is not a refusal of people, it is a description of how you can be reached. Walls are permanent and indiscriminate; a door opens for the right person at the right time, and the difference is that you decide, rather than the loudest request deciding for you. Saying no to Friday is not saying no to the friendship. It just means the yes means something.

Name one thing you keep agreeing to while quietly resenting it. Say no to that one, kindly and without a long justification. Then offer the version you would actually like, which is what the key is for.