ADVICE: Making contact after a request for space

My significant other asked me to give them space.  How long should I wait before I contact them?

People in healthy, adult, mutually-respectful and mutually-satisfying relationships accept that each person needs some time alone to enjoy a hobby, go shopping, work on a project, spend time with friends. Ultimately, however, they choose to spend a lot of time together, know how to communicate their needs to their partner, and would never dream of abandoning the relationship.

Asking for space is one way of putting a relationship temporarily in neutral and taking the opportunity for both parties to reassess it.  Sometimes we need to take a good look at what we have with our partner and figure out what's working, what's not, and what to do to improve it.  It isn't necessarily a signal that the partner asking for space wants out.

When negotiating time apart it's important to agree on the conditions, such as:

• The specific dates you'll be apart. (You can always re-negotiate if less time is wanted or more time is necessary.)
• Will you communicate with each other during this time?  
• If so, what mode of contact is acceptable (text, phone, virtual or face-to-face meeting) and how often (daily, once a week, etc.)
• If not, who will you contact in case of an emergency?
• You'll agree to not do drive-bys, spy on social media, or ask your partner's family or friends to give you updates on their activities
• When time's up, the time and place you'll come together and have an honest discussion about what you've both discovered, and decide together which action(s) you will take.  

(Please notice I said negotiating--which is an agreement--and from the content of your question, I'd guess that the decision to be apart wasn't something you wanted or agreed to.) 

On the other hand, I've heard many former clients say that asking for space was merely passive-aggressive code for saying that they or their S.O. no longer wanted to be in the relationship, didn't have the courage to end it, and was a feeble attempt to prevent hurting the other person.  If this is the case for you, then you're better off without a partner who is too immature and/or insecure to have an honest (albeit difficult) conversation about breaking it off.

As for your question, decide how long you'll realistically wait for your partner to contact you (2 weeks, for example).  Use this time to your benefit to go out with friends, tackle a project at home, and do your own relationship evaluation and how you'd like to move forward. If you haven't heard back from your partner by then, call them and ask to meet so you can discuss the status of  your relationship.

It would be a good idea to connect with a therapist to talk about your insecurities about this relationship and how to remedy them--a kind of "emotional tune-up," if you will.  Regardless of the outcome of your time apart, you'll feel better and more in control and you'll be able to tackle whatever comes next.