Use this family-boundary worksheet to identify a request, dependence, a safe limit, and a follow-through option. Avoid writing a consequence that would remove essential housing, care, or income unless you have a safe and viable plan.
Work through these questions: Repeated daytime messages
Completed fictional example — SAMPLE DATA
This example shows how to fill in the form. It is not a real person’s record, a diagnosis, a validated assessment or a promised outcome. Use your own observations and appropriate professional advice for actual health concerns.
| Question or field | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Request pattern? | Non-urgent requests arriving during work |
| Available reply windows? | Reply during the evening check-in |
| Urgent exception? | Agree separately what needs an immediate call |
| Message? | I will read ordinary requests after work |
| Follow-through? | Use the agreed check-in without promising constant availability |
Blank worksheet — copy or print
Copy the form into your own private document or print this page. Replace each “Your entry” cell with your own note; leave anything uncertain clearly marked as unknown. This page does not save or submit your entries.
| Question or field | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Request pattern? | Your entry |
| Available reply windows? | Your entry |
| Urgent exception? | Your entry |
| Message? | Your entry |
| Follow-through? | Your entry |
Completed example
| Question or field | Fictional completed example |
|---|---|
| Request pattern? | Repeated daytime messages |
| Available reply windows? | Lunch and evening |
| Urgent exception? | A clear emergency call |
| Message? | I will read ordinary messages after work |
| Follow-through? | Use the stated windows |
A worked situation: Repeated daytime messages
Fictional example. A relative expects immediate replies throughout the workday. You can explain a lunch and evening reply window while preserving a way to identify a genuinely urgent call.
Define the urgent exception before sending the message
A reply-window boundary needs an ordinary contact rule and a way to identify genuinely urgent needs. Agree on those details where possible rather than expecting relatives to infer them. Do not promise availability you do not have. If dependence or retaliation limits your choices, the useful next step may be a supported plan rather than a stronger text message.