Hi Craig,

You said “What’s been difficult for me is I viewed her as a incredibly strong woman. Her pregnancy was inadvertent and a few weeks after she had her son, she was diagnosed with cancer. She underwent 9 months of chemo and beat it. Seeing her struggle with the stress and anxiety of school, and pushing everyone away is hard to grasp.”

Whatever she up to, she makes sense all of the time. She may really want to tell someone about why she is doing things that look like pushing others away. I think the best you can do is to be gently available, with occasional reaching out, and being prepared to let her come to you. When she’s ready to talk, be ready to listen.

Craig