Boundaries vs. Requests In Our Circles of Relationships

Using Boundaries in Every Circle of Relationship

Healthy relationships are built on respect, understanding, and trust. At the core of maintaining these elements are boundaries—clear lines we draw to protect our well-being. The Circle of Relationships model by Brian Frizzell offers a helpful visual to identify the depth and nature of our connections. When we combine this with a clear understanding of boundaries and requests, we gain powerful insight into how to handle different types of relationships with clarity and self-respect.

Recap: 

• Setting a boundary is knowing, checking, and clearly stating what you need to stay healthy and authentic in a relationship, backed by the action you’ll take if that need isn’t respected.

• A request is when you ask someone else to change their behavior. They have the right to say yes or no.

• A boundary isn’t a request.
  → A request asks someone else to change.
  → A boundary is how you will act if they don’t.

• Requests can be declined.
  → Example: “Can you turn off your phone at dinner?” (Request)
  → “If the phone stays on, I’ll step away.” (Boundary)

• Boundaries are not about control.
  → You can’t force a behavior from others.
  → You can control the use of your energy, time, and resources by your response.

• Boundaries protect your ability to be authentic.
  → When you go beyond your limits, you lose yourself.
  → Boundaries help you stay grounded in your values.

• They’re not walls—they’re clarity.
  → Boundaries invite a healthy connection with you, not distance.
  → They teach others how to be in a healthy relationship with you.

• Real strength is knowing your limits— the amount of energy, time, and resources we have to give to a person or a situation—and honoring them.

Let’s walk through how to use boundaries, not just requests, in each of the seven relationship circles:

1. Source (Inner Self)

This is your relationship with yourself and your relationship to Spirituality or Higher Power—your values, identity, and purpose.

• Boundary: “I will not allow external validation to define my self-worth.”
  
  

• Here, boundaries are about internal integrity. It’s choosing to listen to your own voice rather than external noise.

Other examples:

Boundary: I have set times this week that I will workout and meditate. And I will treat these times as non-negotiables. 

Request: I hope I will workout and meditate some this week.

Boundary: when listening to, and reflecting upon, my internal self talk, I will refute negative thoughts and counter them with positive, truthful “I am“ statements

Request: I wish I would stop talking to myself like that. 

2. Intimate (Spouse/Sexual Partner)

Deepest emotional and physical connection. Vulnerability is at its peak.

• Boundary: “If you speak to me in a demeaning way, I will pause the conversation until respect is restored.”

• This is not a request for better behavior; it’s a decision about what you will do to maintain dignity in high-intimacy situations.

Other examples: 

Boundary:

“If we make plans and you cancel last minute without explanation, I’ll choose not to make plans with you for a while.”

• Why it’s a boundary: It’s a consequence you set and control to protect your time and emotional investment.

Request:

“Can you let me know ahead of time if you need to cancel plans?”

• Why it’s a request: You’re asking for consideration, but it depends on their willingness.

3. Select Few (Close Friends or Siblings)

Trusted emotional bonds without sexuality.

• Boundary: “I won’t engage in gossip or conversations that violate someone else’s trust.”

• With close friends, boundaries protect both your values and the relationship’s integrity.

Other examples: 

Boundary: I will only share vulnerably with you if you have earned my trust and keep my trust. 

Request: please don’t share my secrets with others. 

4. Few (Friends, Extended Family, Associates)

People we share life events with—weddings, reunions, group activities.

Boundary: “I won’t stay in conversations where I feel dismissed or mocked.”

• These relationships benefit from boundaries that maintain mutual respect in social contexts.

Other Examples:

Boundary:

“If conversations with you always turn negative, I’ll choose to limit how often we talk.”

• This boundary protects your mental space.

Request:

“Can we keep our conversation more positive today?”

Boundary: “ if the only time you’re going to call me is when you need me to do something for you, then I’m going to give you space and stop taking your calls”

Request: “ I desire to have more interactive time with you then only when I can be of service to you. Can we connect without having to perform sometime soon?”

5. Mandatory (Work, School, Responsibilities)

Obligatory connections; we don’t choose these people.

• Boundary: “I will only answer work messages during work hours.”

• These boundaries preserve your time, energy, and prevent burnout. You enforce them, regardless of others’ preferences.

Other examples: 

Boundary:

“I won’t respond to work messages after 6 PM.”

• This is a clear, actionable limit on your part.

Request:

“Could you try to send messages during business hours?”

Boundary: “if you continue to converse with me in an unprofessional and disrespectful way, then I will choose to table this conversation until we can return to communicating in a civil and honorable “

Request: “please communicate with me in a positive and professional manner”

6. Peripheral (Adversaries, Codependent Connections)

People kept at emotional distance, often for safety.

• Boundary: “I will not engage in personal topics with this person.”

• With emotionally risky people, strong, clear boundaries are crucial. You don’t request their respect; you enforce your space.

Other examples: 

Boundary:

“I won’t engage with you one-on-one. I’ll only speak in group settings or with a third party present.”

• It controls the terms of interaction.

Request:

“Can we try to be civil when we see each other?”

7. Temporal (Objects or Coping Mechanisms)

Involvements with things (e.g., drugs, shopping, media) that substitute for relationships.

• Boundary: “I won’t turn to alcohol when I’m emotionally overwhelmed.”

• This is where self-discipline becomes a boundary—a line drawn between coping and self-destruction.

Other examples: 

Boundary: I will show myself grace and seek to understand what need I am looking for when I go to porn or other coping mechanisms. 

Request: I will try not to look at porn. 

Boundaries vs. Requests: Know the Difference

According to the “Boundaries vs. Requests” guide:

• Boundaries are about you. You control them, enforce them, and live by them.

• Requests depend on others. You can ask, but you must accept their right to say no.

In every ring of the relationship circle, boundaries serve as your protective framework. Requests might supplement your communication, but boundaries define your emotional safety.

Final Thoughts

Not every relationship deserves the same level of access to you. The closer the circle, the more intimacy—and the more important your boundaries become. Respect starts when you commit and flow through with the relationships that matter, not when you wait for others to respect it for you.

Respect yourself first—and the rest will follow.