Matthew Hussey Instagram – When we like someone, we’re often so afraid of losing them that we let our boundaries slip and slide. We will willingly stay in a situation that’s not going anywhere for months or even years . . . all in the name of connection—holding on tightly to the hope of how great things could be. As we all know, extricating yourself from a situation gets harder and harder over time. In truth, the writing is usually on the wall from the beginning, and how you respond to it in the early stages will set the tone for the kind of treatment you are willing to tolerate. When you think you might be seeing warning signs or amber flags, there are three specific steps you can take: Step 1: Communicate that what they’re doing is in breach of your standard. Step 2: Decide (with yourself) how much time you are willing to gamble while waiting for that behavior to improve. Step 3: Stick to that time frame and hold firm to your boundary. By keeping that promise to yourself and sticking to your timeline, you are both communicating an important message to yourself and saving yourself a lot of potential pain and regret down the road.