RelationsHip Tip

Chat ’em up…

Or shut up!?! “My BFF goes on and on about her crush who doesn’t like her back,” says Sophie, 12. “The more she talks, the more upset she gets.” Studies show that dwelling on the negative can turn a snowball of a problem into an avalanche of stress. Not to say you shouldn’t talk to a BFF about next week’s scary exam or improving your slam dunk; she might offer a solution. But with heftier stuff, like relationships, you both lack experience, so problem solving grinds to a halt. Let an adult in on the convo -- the experience a grown-up brings to the table might end the obsessing. End of discussion.