10 Easy Ways to Be Conscious of Your Personal Space

This is a topic which has been touched on in the past, but I often feel a sense of hopelessness and helplessness when it comes to my personal space. I know that there are other people who have these issues too, so this post aims to be informative and provide some tips on how you can be more mindful of your personal space.

If you’ve ever wondered what the best way to deal with these kind of situations is, or if you’ve ever had someone do something that made you uncomfortable and don't know how to say anything about it, this post is perfect for you. There are 10 different helpful ways that can help minimize discomfort with your personal space.

1. Talk to the person

If you feel the need to confront another person about something that makes them uncomfortable, you should always talk to them about it. A lot of people get anxious about this topic and don’t really know how to address it. I know on a personal level, I get extremely upset when someone comes too close for no reason, or touches me without permission. But when I talk about it with the person later, they almost always apologize and make sure not to do it in that way again.

2. Keep Your Distance

Sometimes physical distance can be very helpful when communicating your boundaries with another person. You always want to keep a distance of at least an arm’s length between you and the person while they are doing something that makes you uncomfortable. If they are too close, put your hand on their shoulder or chest to let them know that you don’t like it. If someone is pushing into you too much, move away from them.

3. Talk to Your Friend

This is another great way to communicate your boundaries to your friends. If they’re an open minded person and they feel it will help, they will talk to the person and try to help you. Sometimes the person is doing something that makes you uncomfortable because they don’t know how else to express themselves without making you uncomfortable. If your friend approaches them and tells them, hopefully the other person will make an effort to keep their distance when it comes time for that type of touch.

4. Look for Common Ground

Sometimes people do come up close for no reason or overstep their boundaries because they genuinely have something in common with you and want to connect on a personal level. If you find yourself in a situation like this that makes you uncomfortable, look for some common ground to ground the conversation and help you keep your distance. Don’t let them get too close, but don’t blow up either.

5. Stand Your Ground

If the person is coming at you with the intention of creating a personal connection maybe they really do have something in common with you or they want to go out with you and they come at you with their hand out, just freeze and be really stiff when they touch or talk to you. Hold your ground and show that it makes you very uncomfortable when they do this.

6. Try to Change the Environment

If someone comes up too close and you know they want to make a connection with you, try to change your environment. If it’s an office setting, go out into the hallway and take a deep breath. If it’s in public, just move over two seats and make sure they notice that you’re uncomfortable. It will help with their desire to connect.

7. Try Interrupting Them

If the person is being too forward or trying to touch you without permission, interrupt them by telling them that it makes you uncomfortable when they do that sort of thing. You can either say it out loud or even make a gesture of scratching your neck or rubbing the back of your head to let them know you don’t like it.

8. Try to Share an Interest in Something Else

If someone is getting too close and pushing into you, try talking about something else with them besides the issue at hand. For example, if they keep wanting to connect with you by touching your shoulder or arm, talk about something completely unrelated for a few seconds. Maybe tell them about what you do for a living or what you’re passionate about and then try again when they're not so close to you.

9. Break the Touch Barrier

If you have a hard time saying no when people come up to you and touch you, just let them know that. You may feel a lot more comfortable with your personal space if you tell them this upfront. Then try to break the touch barrier by touching them first and then asking for permission before going in for another touch. If they say yes, go on with your conversation but if they say no, don’t push the touch any further.

10. Explode

If you’re still uncomfortable with another person’s touch, there may be a time where you just have to say, I don’t like that! What are you doing? If they continue to touch you, try talking to them again calmly but loudly. Say things like, I asked you not to do that and you keep on doing it. I don't like it and I don't want it. Could we please stop? This will allow them to get a glimpse of how uncomfortable they are making someone else and hopefully they won't make the same mistake again.

Conclusion

We all have our boundaries. If you feel someone is crossing them without permission, find out that you can let them know immediately and try to help them understand what they’re doing wrong. Make sure you don't make the situation any worse by going into an explosion because if they do it again, you will have no choice but to explode back. The best thing to do is find out if there are ways that they can express themselves in a way that won't make someone else uncomfortable and let them know about your boundaries so they don't come on too strong in the first place.