And just like that, another week has passed, and my stress level has neither changed nor tempered. But to not leave you with all bad news, I have and hope you have, too, begun to at least adjust to the busy schedule.

I also have more good news: we have another note to add to our ever-growing symphony.

A newcomer to our campus is going through the high school relationship blues. This person has begun to go long distance with his high school girlfriend. Now I will be the first to say that long distance CAN work, but there are definite instances where it can’t.

His question is, “How can I end things with my high school girlfriend when things are not working out long distance?”

This is a pretty big question, and I will do my best to do you and your girlfriend justice.
The first piece of advice I would give you is to give your feelings a little bit of time. Make sure you are not just feeling the excitement of freedom before you break up with her because you don’t want to regret your decision.

One thing I have learned in a long-distance relationship is that human feelings are both chaotic and fleeting. That is not to say that they don’t hold true, but sometimes they require some thought before you act on your feelings.

Now let’s say that you’ve marinated in your feelings, and they are not going away. That’s okay. We are human, and college is a time of major growth and change. Most of us tend to come out as different people than we went in as.

For the following steps, you need to proceed with caution. Your girlfriend is someone you hopefully spent a lot of time loving, so you need to be kind to her heart.

I highly recommend having the conversation in person or at least over the phone. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT do it over text.

If this is just a gradual split and not something she did wrong, then you need to offer her as much reassurance and kindness as possible. Truly let her know that you love her as a person. Tell her that it is not anything wrong with the relationship.

Gentle honesty is the best course of action.

Be truthful and speak your heart. Sometimes relationships grow apart.
What I have learned is that sometimes it is better to go through a small heartbreak now rather than grow to resent each other later. She deserves someone’s full love and commitment, so if you cannot offer that, you need to end it for the good of both of you.

The last step is the most important: Uber Eats her some ice cream or her favorite dessert because she will need it. Also, if you know her best friends, call them and let them know what’s up so they can be here for her.

Breakups are hard on every person involved. The best we can do is try to love each other through it and be as kind as possible.

I hope, whatever happens, everything turns out okay.
I have said this so much. It’s my new mantra: we are just trying to get through it, so we might as well do it together.