You don’t get to pick and choose when you want to participate (or not) in a core relationship.
By core relationship, I mostly mean family or close friend, but this applies to colleague and acquaintance as well, although each has (and should have) different boundaries.
Whichever the relationship, while you are within its boundaries, you are obliged to participate.
Now, sometimes that may mean telling the other person that you need some space right now.
That’s OK too.
But when you opt to ‘check out’ as a form of deflection or avoidance, then you’re simply running away from growth.
Matt Fried 