Tag: friendship advice
A new beginning—but I don’t want to be alone
QUESTION Hi Irene, I’m 27 and have never had what I have felt is a real friend. I just got out of a three-year relationship with a great guy but he just wasn’t great for me at this point in my life; I was never in love with him. I have been in a few […]
The awkwardness of friendship after dating
QUESTION Hello Dr. Irene, I really cared a lot about someone whom I dated. After the end of our dating relationship three years ago, I was devastated. However, I was very willing to be his friend. For the last two years, I was doing all of the hard work and effort to maintain this friendship. […]
My so-called friend
QUESTION Hi Irene, My so-called friend deleted me on Facebook because of an accidental slip-of-the-tongue. I told her I didn’t like her cousin. I thought telling the truth even though it hurts was the right thing. In addition to deleting me on Facebook, she talks about me behind my back and when I try […]
Asking too much of a friend
QUESTION Hi Irene, I’ve recently been coming to terms with some deeply buried grief, and also struggling with self-injury problems as well. My "best friend" of 19 years has hardly been there for me and only seems to come around when he needs me. He makes it very clear that he does not care about […]
What to do with an out-of-sync friendship
QUESTION Hi Irene, "Lance" and I have been friends since third grade, and now we have both graduated school and are getting jobs or attending college. I feel like I’ve left him in the dust, emotionally speaking. Despite his attempts to attend college and hold a part-time job, he is incredibly immature for his age […]
When a close friendship with a boss suddenly ends
QUESTION Hi Irene, I was recently dumped by one of my closest friends, whom I loved dearly. I am devastated, sad, hurt and disappointed. But I have an extra big problem: my ex-friend is my direct boss. I am an administrative assistant, her right hand person at work. We see each other on a daily […]
Sisters Who Aren’t the Best of Friends—Right Now
QUESTION Dear Irene, My sister is two years older than me. We’ve had a pretty good relationship throughout the years although our teen years have really taken a toll. She moved out of the house with my mama and me, and moved in with our dad about a year ago. My mama and my […]
I can’t make friends…could it be my voice or my bad relationship with my mother?
QUESTION Hi Irene, I’m trying to understand why I can’t make many friends, especially female ones. It does affect me; sometimes I wish I could share my life with other people. I never had a healthy relationship with my mother, which probably explains why I don’t get close to many female friends. Another reason […]
Fear of Losing All My Friends
Not all friendships last forever: We should always be open to new ones QUESTION Hi Irene, Over the last few months, my best friend, whom I’ll call "L," has grown close to another of my friends, "S." They have done several things together without including me. I’m not interested in some of the […]
My Best Friend Is Pulling Away
QUESTION Dear Irene, I’m a junior in high school who has never been the most popular person. I’m generally the weird girl who eats lunch alone reading a book. However, over the past couple of years, I’ve made a few incredible friends. One of these is a guy who knows that I’ve liked him […]
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