I have a clingy friend!

Q :

One of my friends is too clingy and she doesn’t know it. I don’t want to hurt her feelings or stop being her friend, I just want her to back off a little bit. How do I break the news to her while still being nice? — Alyssa, 11

A:

Natasha: Clingy friends are difficult — most of them don’t realize that them being clingy usually drives the other person away. Be as nice as you possibly can, because the truth is that the clingy friend is probably very fond of you and just wants to be around someone they like! You can simply let her know that you guys don’t always have to be hanging out and that you would love a little space. Sometimes if a person is extremely clingy with me, I tend to step away from my phone and just try to drop the conversation for a day to give myself some space. Don’t ignore the friend forever, but 100% feel free to step away from the conversation when needed.