Q - Dear Annabelle, I guess I wonāt get the attention I need, but, if there is ANY chance, Iāll try it. I used to have many friends and my social life was fine, but the Īfeelingā that I Īowed all thisā to my best friend, who was REAL popular, increased over time. Thus, at the beginning of the school year, I Ībroke upā with him. Now I feel my Īsocial lifeā is even more screwed up. I feel very lonely, but I still wonāt rely on him to make me popular. A - Dear Vesso, You donāt say which country you are from, but, at 16, itās easy to feel lonely. Now, letās take a look at a couple of things. While itās appropriate for you to want to develop your own circle of friends, perhaps breaking with your good friend because of your perception of HIS popularity mightnāt be the best way to accomplish your goal. Itās not fair, but in life some young people just have the gift of knowing how to be a friend........and some other of us just donāt. I understand your wish to be separate, however, you miss his friendship and, one of the things that good friends do is help each other. Perhaps if you sat with him and asked him to help you learn his skill with people....he could help you, just as YOU would gladly teach him something that YOU know well. ĪPeople skillsā are come by in different ways, and having your friend share what he has learned with you would be a good thing.......perhaps, at some time, you could then share what you have learned with someone else.......and then, well, and then more young people would learn how to have .....and be, friends. You sound depressed, something that, at 16, is understandable..........do you live where you might have the opportunity to talk with a professional counselor, a psychologist or a physician about this? During adolescence, with the hormonal changes taking place, sometimes just knowing that others care about you helps, then too, itās sometimes a good idea to join a group of other young people with concerns similar to your own and talk things through on a weekly basis. While itās hard to be cheerful when youāre feeling down and discouraged, finding your inner strengths go a long way to making you feel better about yourself. Much good luck to you in finding what you need. - Annabelle Q - Dear Annabelle, Thank you so much for all that you wrote to me! however, I realize that I must have forgotten to mention many other factors that have influenced the situation... anyway, even if you were't left with the most accurate possible impression, I truly appreciate your effort! And, by the way, the times when I feel a bitdepressed have decreased a lot lately... anyway, THANK YOU!!! A - Dear Vesso, There usually ARE 'other' considerations.....keep in mind that this IS your life and YOU get to direct it,.....or be 'resigned' to it pretty much as you choose. Many people in this world have overcome amazing things to find great happiness. One of our AmericanPresidents, Abraham Linclon, himself plagued by great bouts of depression, said, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be" That's so very true! - Annabelle