Woe Is Me! is a series in which The Swaddle team indulges your pity party with advice you’ll probably ignore.

"I’m in the second-year of my PhD and have developed a crush on one of my guide's colleagues. I was in his class last year. He no longer teaches me, but we often run into each other on campus. I don’t know if I’m imagining it but there are times when I think he might be reciprocating the attention. I want to tell him but I’m worried about how he will react. There's a new year's eve party where I'll meet him, and I'm nervous. What should I do?"

-- NYE Confessions

SA: Do nothing. Avoid him at the party and till whenever it takes for you to get over the crush. The power dynamic is skewed and the chances of something going wrong are pretty high.

But then again you're a PhD student, so you're not young enough to not know all this already. So if he seems worth all the trouble, go for it. Just protect your space and make sure that if things do go south, you don't have any classes with him.

AS: Hmmm, that’s tricky. Since it's a complicated situation, it's best not to rush into things. I would suggest you wait it out a while, and see if this a temporary, passing crush or something you feel strongly enough about to act on. But it’s your decision at the end of the day. As long as you’re prepared for things not turning out the way you might want.