Does he love me?

I am in trouble. There is a boy in my class who is very possessive about me. I came to realise that I am falling in love with him but don’t know about his feelings for me. He does not like me talking with other guys but still I am not sure what he feels for me. He is very stubborn and I am scared to ask his feelings for me. What do I do?

— Simran

Dear Simran,

If this boy does not like you to talk to other guys it probably means he is interested in you. This is why he is behaving like a typical alpha male and being possessive. Give him some time and show him what you feel. Your stubborn alpha male will be happy to stake his claim.

Out of this world:

I don’t know what is happening to me. I can’t adjust with my surroundings. I hate crowd and I don’t like mixing around. I want to study well and do well in life but I am sick of life. I always wanted to be a good daughter, I tried a lot and I failed. I am sick of listening to same old advices. Please help me out. I am sinking deeper and deeper to oblivion.

—Ruth baby

Dear Ruth Baby,

Rule number one- it is important to live for yourself. Remember Forrest Gump? “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get next”. Try to rediscover the sweetness that life has to offer. To do this with success, you must analyse where your frustration is coming from. Is the inability to match the expectations of your parents, teachers and friends making you feel inadequate and causing you stress? This is probably why you are avoiding mixing around. Your insecurities need to be addressed immediately. It is obvious that the same old advice is not working. Share you troubles with your family or a close friend to snap pout of your depression.

Am I hallucinating?

I have a crush on a boy of my class and I felt he too has a crush on me. We used to hang around a lot and had great fun. But now everyone has started to tease us and all of a sudden he has stopped talking to me. If I talk to me him he speaks to me but he spends more time with another girl of my class. When I ask his friends they say he is shy but then that is not the excuse. Now I am getting irritated with his behaviour. I don’t know what to think or do? Please help me get out of this situation.

—Lonely M

Dear Lonely M

Ah ...the games people play! The teasing has made him shy and embarrassed. Give him time to address his real feelings. You can’t force him to admit that he has a crush on you. No point getting irritable, you will frighten your boy away.

My problem and me:

I’m 18 and my economical status is poor. My salary is not enough to cover my needs, fees and study materials. My family income is not that much to provide me pocket money. I don’t want to utilise money on unnecessary things. Now that I have taken up a job thinking that it will help but then it’s hampering my studies so I want to quit. But the money problem arises again. What should I do? Please help

—Neete

Dear Neete

Learning to budget your finances is an art. Learning to budget your time judiciously is a real skill. As it is important for you to maintain a job to finance your studies, it is imperative that you try and find the right balance in juggling your studies and your work. This requires patience, discipline and intelligence. Trust in your own capabilities and set goals and targets and you will succeed.

Work or studies:

I am a young girl of 23 years and recently completed my bachelor and I am a jobholder too. Now, I want to pursue by higher studies in a good college and want to quit my job. I even want to go aboard after my Masters for which I want to get good rank. Since I am working for past 3 years, I found it a bit difficult to handle both studies as well as job because of which I did not get good marks. But my parents don’t want me to quit my job right now as I am in a fairly good position in my office. They are suggesting me to join morning classes as I have been helping them financially. By which I am very depressed and have started to hate my parents for this. I think they are too money minded but I do love them a lot as they have gone through a lot of difficulties to bring me up. They do have a lot of hopes from me, as I am their eldest daughter. Do you think I am too ambitious and a bad daughter or something? Should I listen to my parent or study up to my target? Please suggest.

—Depressed daughter

Dear Depressed Daughter,

Personal desires and unmet aspirations can cause unhappiness. You have been a good and dutiful daughter so far now be a truthful one too, so that you don’t end up resenting your parents for a lifetime. Tell your parents that you want to stop working as it is affecting your studies. Share with them the fact that you want to study for your Masters and then go abroad for further studies. Tell them that getting good academic results at the Masters level will enhance your future job prospects and improve your chances of going abroad for further studies. Your parents will respect your ambition if you word it or play it right.