You are tasked with writing directions for a friend from a different state to get to a restaurant.

Explanation:

Once we’ve explained our needs and feelings, it’s important to set boundaries. Explain to your friends what you are willing to do and how you would like to be treated, then enforce those boundaries by repeating them over and over again. Kirmayer suggests using “I” language here: instead of listing things that the other person is doing wrong, explain the way certain things make you feel, like “I am not comfortable” going out to eat or to another gathering.

You can also state outright the things that you need, like asking your friends to stop telling you about their social outings. For instance, you can say: “I really would like to feel that my situation, or my feelings, are being accepted in this situation.” It may take some time before they get the message, but it’s important to keep repeating the same thing. If your friends continue to repeatedly invite you to in-person activities even after you ask them to stop, or if they keep teasing you about your beliefs, you might say, “When you say this, I end up feeling very hurt,” or “I feel like I told you this several times, that I’m just not willing or able to do this. I’m now feeling like I’m not being heard, and that’s really hard for me. Can we talk about that?”