When preparing to leave for college, everyone talks about the struggles of a long distance romantic relationship, but people fail to mention how hard it is to maintain a long distance friendship. Friendships, like relationships, require effort and communication in order to thrive and survive. Here are 3 tips to keep a friendship strong even when you’re apart.
- Set Aside Time to Talk to Your Friends
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Make time to talk to your friends. Make a date to Facetime your best friends and stick to it, whether it’s every Friday for an hour or every other day for twenty minutes. You wouldn’t just bail on in-person plans with your friends without good reason, so don’t bail on these Facetime dates!
- Check in on Your Friends From Home
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Not everyone returned to their college campuses this year which could leave your friends who stayed home feeling major FOMO. Be sure to check in on these friends. It can’t be easy for them to see you living on campus and meeting new people while they feel like they’re stuck at home. On that note, when you do talk to your friends, try not to rub it in that you’re having a blast on campus; ask them how online school is going, whether they’ve picked up any new hobbies, or whether anything new is going on with them. There’s nothing wrong with sharing your experiences, but tread lightly and make sure you’re being sensitive to their situation.
- Send Your Friends Letters and Packages
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Seeing that something came for you in the mail is one of the best feelings, especially when you weren’t expecting it. Surprise your friends from home and send them a cute letter or mini care package! You can include pictures, art that you’ve made, their favorite candy, anything! You can click here for more ideas on things to send to your friends back home.
A lot of times, we assume that our friends from home will just be there waiting for us when we return. And while to some extent, certain friendships are the same as they were when you left them regardless of how much time has passed, every friendship requires at least a little bit of TLC. Just like you’d put in time and effort to maintain a long distance relationship with your S/O, you need to put energy into keeping a friendship alive and well, especially when you’re separated by hundreds of miles.