When a friendship hit s a wall, how do you know whether to work on the relationship or let it go? “It actually is a matter of life and death,” wrote Lydia Denworth in her book. “Friendship is not a choice．It’s a necessity that is important to our ability to succeed.” If you’ve lost touch with good friends, it could be time to work through hurt feelings and repair the friendships．【小题1】.

●Think and write down the good

Before you face a difficult conversation with a friend, pause and think it over．“Think of the moments when this friendship has brought you joy or excitement,” suggested Adam, author of Friendship in the Age of Loneliness. 【小题2】．He also encouraged sharing that list in conversation with the friend.

●Choose a different way to communicate

【小题3】. “People are happy to get mails or postcards. Write more letters or send someone a book you think they would enjoy,” Adam suggested．Adam also suggested a deeper letter writing approach: “Try writing letters to each other before you talk．In your letter, include why you think the relationship feels hard and why you want to repair it.”

●Give it time and try again

People differ in how they deal with conflict (争执), so remember that you may need to give a friendship some breathing room before trying again.【小题4】. She also suggested an honest approach such as, “Hey, I felt terrible since we had conflict. I’d love to get things back on track since I really appreciate our friendship.”

●【小题5】

Sometimes a friendship suffers because of a miscommunication, and sometimes the problems run much deeper. Franco encouraged people not to let a single problem break up a friendship. “Conflict is a chance to improve a friendship. Don’t give up on friendships because one problem has occurred,” Franco said.

Let’s be honest, kids are strange. And when you hear your three- year-old son arguing over who gets to be the mom while playing “house” alone in the other room, you might question if you’ve done something wrong as a parent. But don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal for your child to have an imaginary friend, and it even has some benefits. While your kids are benefiting from playing with their imaginary friend, try out these other ways to raise an intelligent child!

One of the biggest profits is that it promotes creativity. Just think about it-you have to be a special kind of creative to carry on a conversation with an imaginary figure that doesn’t respond. Developmental psychologist Marjorie Taylor told PureWow that your child’s creativity will remain with them as they get older, even when they stop hanging out with their “friend”.

Along with being more creative, they will also have a better developed and more different vocabulary as well as stronger social skills. Talking to “Sally” or “Bob” all day will allow them to practice their speech and conversation skills. Researchers at La Trobe University in Australia found that children who engage with their imaginary friends on a regular basis use more complex sentences and are more confident in everyday social situations.

There are also some benefits for the parents. If your child’s brothers or sisters aren’t around or they’re an only child, they have someone to entertain them while you spend the time on you never-ending to-do list. So even though it might get odd when your kids constantly ask you to set an extra plate at the table for their imaginary friends, they’ll benefit in the future from keeping them around. Having an extra member of the family can’t be that bad, the more the merrier, right?

Are you a talkative person? Do you like chatting with your colleagues? Every day around the world, most people who go to work avoid making small talk with their colleagues once they get there.

Some put on their headphones and keep their eyes low. Others will pretend to receive an urgent message that requires an immediate, life-or-death rapid response, which prevents them from doing pretty much anything else, including the conversation made while people are heating up lunch in the office microwave or while walking from the entrance of their office building to the nearest bus stop.

If those sound familiar or if you’ve convinced yourself that avoiding small talk with colleagues is smart self-preservation and that the risk of saying something offensive or coming across as socially unskillful is not worth the reward of connecting with somebody, then there is a bad piece of news—your false logic could be costing you a higher position at work.

Jamie Terran, a licensed career coach in New York City, said that small talk between colleagues builds rapport, which builds trust. “Rapport is the feeling that allows you to extend the deadline, or overlook smaller mistakes because it makes your colleagues to remember that we’re only human,” she added.

However, many people underestimate how much their conversation partners like them. But it’s not necessary. Imagine that after you have an awkward small talk with your colleague, do you think that the colleague you just talked with is a terrible conversationalist? No. You just feel bad about yourself. And you colleague feels the same about himself or herself.

If you’re generally anxious in social situations, Terran suggested coming up with questions or stories from which you can pull. “Whether or not you share personal information about yourself is up to you, but discussing things you truly care about always works,” she said. “Topics related to your professional field, for example, the sports you do well, is a great place to start.”