Let me set the scene for you: I'm sitting in my dorm room with my friends. There's a Red Sox game playing in the background (because of course there is). We're passing around some of the popcorn that one of our roommate's boyfriend brought home from the concession stand (see the picture; we're going to be eating popcorn for the next three months). And then, one of my friends asks for advice.

And... I have none.

This happens a lot to me, and maybe it happens to some of you too. One of your friends brings up a really important, sensitive, personal issue. And you really, really want to say the right thing... except you don't know how to. It's really a terrible situation. On one hand, you don't want to say the wrong thing. On the other, you don't want to leave your friend hanging. But in both situations, I'm left feeling like a bad friend. And it sucks because I hate feeling that way, and I hate not being able to help my friends.

So here's my advice about giving advice when you're bad at giving advice (say that five times fast): take a deep breath. Really think about what your friend is asking you. And for the love of God, don't make the situation about you.

If you don't know what to say, ask them questions. What do you think is best in this situation? What have you tried to do? What are your options? Try and reassure them and make them feel better about the situation. This way, you give your friend some help without saying the wrong thing.

Another good tip that I've been trying to follow is to avoid taking too firm of a stance. Try and allow for a little wiggle room, because the situation can change at any moment. Most likely, your friend is looking for a general direction to go in, not an entire roadmap.

If you're in a small group and one of your friends has some good advice, you can always just reaffirm what they've said. A lot of the times, this is honestly the best option.

Get the popcorn out. Take a deep breath. Help your friend out. You can do this.