Dear Panel,

I’m facing a challenging dilemma that has been bothering me for a long time. At boarding school, I had a really close friend named Nina. We shared a room, did everything together, and were best friends, but since then, our lives have taken different directions. We live far apart, and the time between seeing each other grows longer and longer. And when we finally do meet, I often leave with an empty feeling and a fear that we’ve grown apart.

I find it incredibly difficult to accept that a friendship like ours, which was once so closeknit, is now fading away. On the other hand, I really feel like we’ve grown in two very different directions. I struggle with the uncertainty, and I’m unsure whether it’s best to have a direct conversation and possibly “break up” with Nina.

What do you thin? Should I keep seeing Nina, and let the friendship quietly fade away and run its course, or do I at some point bring it up and officially end the friendship? And if so, how do you “break up” with a friend in a kind way?

Best regards,

A distressed Maria