Tag: ambivalence

Struggling With An Ambivalent Friendship

Published: March 18, 2022 | Last Updated: February 9, 2023 By | 13 Replies Continue Reading
Struggling With An Ambivalent Friendship

A woman is upset about an ambivalent friendship. Here are some tips to recognize and react to an ambivalent friendship.

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An Ambivalent Friendship

Published: August 13, 2015 | Last Updated: March 18, 2022 By | 22 Replies Continue Reading

When two people begin to feel ambivalent about a friendship, it may have run its course. Not all friendships, even very good ones, last forever.

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Can a mentor be a friend? Not always

Published: May 4, 2011 | Last Updated: April 2, 2016 By | 1 Reply Continue Reading

I’m female in my early thirties and my female college mentor is in her mid-50s. When I was her student she invited me to her house to help me study. I thought it was kind of odd and crossing boundaries.

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The friendship pause that refreshes

Published: November 23, 2010 | Last Updated: April 2, 2016 By | 3 Replies Continue Reading

QUESTION Dear Irene, I have a group of girlfriends, basically six of us, who’ve known each other since high school. Anyway, I got very close with three of them: Annie, Carole and Beth. I thought we would be best friends forever just like in the movies. I was, and probably still am, very insecure. I […]

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A friend asks: Should I throw her Maid of Honor under a bus?

Published: October 4, 2010 | Last Updated: September 30, 2015 By | 7 Replies Continue Reading

A maid of honor upsets one of the bride’s guests.

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Martha and Her: The Best of Friends?

Published: March 30, 2010 | Last Updated: October 5, 2020 By | 3 Replies Continue Reading

Dear Martha Stewart, After reading Mariana Pasternak’s new telltale book, The Best of Friends: Martha and Me (Harper, 2010), I know how betrayed you must feel. You have to be asking yourself: How could Mariana, who I considered one of my closest friends, betray me like this? Granted, I’ve only read her side of the […]

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Caution: Frenemies Can Be Bad For Your Health

Published: July 10, 2009 | Last Updated: November 25, 2021 By | 9 Replies Continue Reading
Caution: Frenemies Can Be Bad For Your Health

Being with frenemies has been associated with elevations in blood pressure.

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She’s Just Not That Into You: Six ways to know when a girlfriend’s a frenemy

Published: February 11, 2009 | Last Updated: February 11, 2009 By | 10 Replies Continue Reading

He’s Just Not That Into You decodes the rules of heterosexual dating. But the relationship between girlfriends can be just as powerful, irritating, and unfathomable as any relationship with a guy. Here are my six ways for women to recognize when "she’s just not that into you." Read my latest post on HuffPo, SHE’s Just […]

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Escaping from a toxic triangle

Published: January 21, 2009 | Last Updated: January 22, 2009 By | 73 Replies Continue Reading

QUESTION Dear Irene, I’m a 40-year-old woman who feels like she’s back in junior high. I have three kids who are very involved in sports and activities. Over the last four years, my husband and I developed a group of friends with kids the same ages. My closest friend in the group was a woman […]

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A Friendship Too Broken To Fix?

Published: December 28, 2008 | Last Updated: September 4, 2022 By | 5 Replies Continue Reading
A Friendship Too Broken To Fix?

A friendship may be too broken to fix if it is consistently disappointing and unsatisfying. Friendships should be additive to our lives. QUESTION Dear Irene, Nicole and I met soon after each of us moved to a new town and we hit it off immediately. We were both adrenaline junkies, partners in crime who enjoyed […]

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