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Manage Your Personal Space

 If there's one thing that we can all agree on, it's that sometimes people get too close for comfort. The area where we start being uncomfortable with others' closeness to us is called personal space, and when our own personal space is violated, accidently or intentionally, it can produce a range of reactions in us; some neutral, others irritated, and for some others, even angry. This week, we're learning about personal space, how to solve any conflicts related to it, and what to do if you invade the personal space of others.

Featuring…

Personal space is defined as "the distance from another person at which one feels comfortable when talking to or being next to that other person." Different people are comfortable at different distances, and respond to anyone getting "too" close in a variety of ways. CBS published a YouTube video, in which they conducted a social experiment to see the personal space limits some people have. The participants had a variety of reactions when their personal space was intruded on: some barely reacted, while others took issue with those who got too close.





Setting and knowing your personal boundaries is a good first step for protecting your personal space, but there's another way to establish your personal space: with personal boundaries. On psychcentral.com, we found an article explaining the concept of personal boundaries, how to establish them, and the difference between physical and emotional boundaries. 





Now that we've learned how to establish personal boundaries, there are a few ways to protect that personal space. Our final resource for this week is from psychologytoday.com, and this article lists 5 ways to protect your established boundaries. These steps, ranging from starting small to just being polite, can all be used to communicate with those who have stepped just a bit too far into your space. 


How do you feel about personal space? How would you respond to your personal space being intruded? Let us know in the comments below! 


Resources...

Link to SPAN's website: www.spanadvocacy.org
Link to SPAN's Youth in the Know Resource Page: Youth in the Know
We're here for you! Call SPAN if you need assistance: 1-800-654-7726

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