Dear Miss Emily:

Me and this guy have been pretty steady for a while. But I wanna break up. How would I do that?

------------------------------Miss Emily's advice--------------------------

This is one of the questions I get asked a lot. And there really is only three ways to go about it: lie; put up with a losing relationship; tell the truth. In my opinion, lying is gutless, putting up with a losing relationship is weak (therefore, gutless) and telling the truth is the easiest way to get on with your life. It doesn't have to be a vicious attack on his character, or a story that makes you look like you're doing something wrong. There's nothing to feel guilty about. It's your life, and you have a right to live it how you see fit! If you are uncomfortable with telling him "I'm not feeling it any longer," simply tell him you want a break for a while in order to see how you feel about the relationship -- to give you some clarity. Of course, he'll probably say, " You don't love me anymore?" And you say, I don't know, and that's why I need the space. Set a time limit -- a couple of weeks -- and when it's time to talk, again, about the relationship (and if you still feel the same way), you tell him you've decided to make the break permanent.