Sarah shares seven short, repeatable boundary scripts to handle invasive questions, food policing, politics, and unsolicited parenting advice—plus three quick body resets you can do in a bathroom stall when conversations escalate.

The episode debunks common myths about boundaries, teaches simple lines to use in the moment, and shows how modeling limits protects both you and your children.

Episode length: ~15:18 CW: family conflict, diet/weight talk, passive‑aggression One‑sentence promise: Seven copy‑paste boundary lines you can actually say at the table—plus a bathroom‑stall nervous‑system reset.

• 🎧 Podcast feed: Healing, But Make It Dark

• 📖 Read the companion: “Boundary Scripts for the Holidays (aka Surviving Aunt Carol)” on Substack

• 00:00 – Cold open + what to expect

• 01:10 – Boundary myths, demolished

• 04:20 – The Script Pack (7 lines you can use)

• 10:30 – When they escalate: gaslight, guilt trip, tantrum

• 12:20 – Somatic bailouts (bathroom‑stall edition)

• 14:30 – Parenting out loud + quick challenge

• 15:05 – Outro + next episode teaser

1. Topic grenade: “I’m not discussing that today. Let’s keep it light.”

2. Food police: “My plate isn’t a group project.” (PG: “We’re not commenting on bodies or plates today.”)

3. Politics trap: “I care about you; I’m not debating this over pie.” (Redirect: “Show me dog photos.”)

4. Unsolicited parenting tip: “Thanks—we’re doing it our way.” (Escalation: “I’m not taking feedback on this.”)

5. Length of stay: “We’re leaving by seven. Non‑negotiable.”

6. Name‑calling ‘jokes’: “I don’t do insults dressed as humor. Knock it off.” (Softer: “Those jokes land rough. Let’s skip them.”)

7. Broken record: “Not discussing that.” (Repeat once → stand → “I’m going to refill my drink.”)

• Physio sigh ×3: Double inhale (nose) + long exhale (mouth). ~30–40s.

• Heavy‑limb press: Feet flat, press down for a slow count of eight—pretend you weigh 500 lbs.

• Cold switch: Cold water on wrists or hold an ice cube for 20–30s; exhale while you do it.

• Stealth at the table: Hand on sternum under sweater; exhale twice as long as you inhale while nodding.

• “Grandpa, we’re not commenting on bodies. If it keeps happening, we’ll step out.”

• “We’re leaving at seven to protect bedtime.”

• “We don’t do ‘jokes’ that hurt. Change it or we go.”

Pick one line from the Script Pack and practice it out loud twice this week—car rehearsals count. Reply with SCRIPT + the exact sentence you’ll use.

If this helped, hit follow, tap the heart, and send it to the cousin who gets it. Want deeper dives + worksheets? Join the paid tier on Substack.

• Host: Sarah — black tea, boundary scripts, chaos wrangler

• Production: HBMID

• Music/SFX: licensed selections

• Disclaimer: Educational content, not therapy. U.S. crisis support: call/text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).