Step 3 Day 1: The Boundary That Didn’t Come with a Speech- Setting Boundaries as a Quiet Exit

Sometimes setting boundaries is just a gate ... a quiet exit that doesn’t need a speech.

There wasn’t a dramatic moment. No screaming match. No final straw.

Just a quiet depletion that built over time. A body that grew heavier before each shift. A quiet grief every time I put on the apron and walked back into that fluorescent silence.

And the thought: I don’t belong here. Not anymore. Maybe I never did.

So I left. Not with a blaze of glory. Not with a bullet-pointed list of grievances or a farewell monologue.

Just an email. Simple. Clean. Done.

And I didn’t follow it with a paragraph about how grateful I was. I didn’t explain how hard it was. I didn’t overcompensate to prove I was a “good employee” or a “team player.”

I just left.

Because sometimes setting a boundary doesn't need a speech. Sometimes the most emotionally intelligent thing you can do is let the silence speak for itself.

I used to think that quitting like that was weak. Or passive-aggressive.

But now I know: It was strong because it was honest. Because it didn’t cost me extra pain just to prove a point.

A Slice of Humble Pie: You don’t owe a dissertation to leave a space that drains you.

Reflection: Have you ever stayed longer than you should have because you felt like you needed to explain yourself? What would it feel like to leave quietly, without justifying your truth?

Affirmation: I don’t have to explain my exit. Quiet truth is still truth.

This step is about honoring the exits we’ve already taken or the ones we know we need. If you’d like, take a moment to journal about one ‘gate’ in your life...a moment you chose to leave quietly, or one you’re still standing in front of, waiting to open.