My friend is constantly trying to upstage my problems with her own. How do I let her know this bothers me, without hurting her feelings?

A: First you should talk to your friend honestly in a calm manner. Let

her know that you do care about her problems and concerns, but sometimes you just need to talk about you. That is completely normal in a friendship to need to talk about yourself, but make sure make time to talk about her too. Maybe she is trying to “upstage” you because she feels insecure and needs to feel the attention from you. Talk through it with her with a level head and try to get to the root of the problem, and see how you can fix it!

-L&B

I feel like I am drowning in my homework, and it is hurting my grade in all my subjects. What do I do?

A: First things first, relax! Trying to balance homework for all of your classes (while also trying to find downtime) is probably one of the hardest parts of high school.  It’s important to know that you are not alone, and that everyone runs into this issue at least once in their high school career.  Don’t be afraid to ask teachers for extensions on certain assignments.  If you approach them nicely and tell them that you are overwhelmed, they will probably be willing to help!  Also, NHS offers student-to-student tutoring.  This is a great way to get on top of things; receiving help from another student creates for a comfortable atmosphere, and the tutor will most likely give you honest assistance based on their own experiences.  

Mr friend is constantly talking to me about problems they are having with their significant other, but they won’t break up with them; how do I tell them that I don’t think that they should be together anymore?

A: Start by trying to talk about why they might be having so many problems. Make sure not to place the blame on their significant other, as it may make your friend pull away or get defensive. Assure your friend that you are there for them, and calmly address your concerns. Tell them that you think that perhaps the constant stress of their problems with their significant other may be causing negative harm on them. Let them know your concerns, and remind them at you will support them no matter what they chose.

My boyfriend and I have very different political beliefs, and I am afraid that it will ruin our relationship. What should I do?

A: Honestly, if you and your boyfriend don’t agree and cannot discuss your beliefs rationally, just don’t talk about it. Believe it or not politics is not something that will make or break your relationship. You are both independent people, and should vote and think as individuals. Try not discussing politics and it might help.