We have thoughts on this popular article.
A reflection: a sign of healthy boundary setting is that the person is open to a conversation about their wishes for a boundary change--as opposed to making a pronouncement.
Another reflection: sometimes healthy boundary setting can be unilateral, such as seeing someone less often or (as we say in MFR) declining to get into certain deep topics the other person continually raises. You don't necessarily have to announce the clarified boundary (particularly with a non-intimate in your life where saying it explicitly could come across as a confrontation); you can just pivot and see if the other person accepts the change. If they push you back (get upset), then you may have to put words on the boundary setting.
Final reflection: cut off boundary setting often comes from being unassertive over a long stretch of time, moving from porous boundaries to rigid in one action without reflecting on how you failed to assert yourself in the past.
