As a college student, keeping in touch with friends and family from home is always more difficult than we expect it to be. Finding the balance between staying present and sustaining connections to home is challenging. Most importantly, keeping in touch should never feel like a chore. Here are some tips on how to maintain those ever-important relationships throughout your college years, and beyond!
Snail Mail
Technology is an incredible tool for keeping in touch with family and friends (which college students often take for granted). At the same time, there is no replacement for the feeling of receiving mail in that tiny, rectangular, personally designated mailbox at school. Try writing to friends or family members, or even send them a care package, because they will likely write or send something back! Even send them some pictures of what you’ve been up to (especially if you are one of the many college students refusing to accept the Facebook friend request from Mom—she would enjoy the pictures).
Routine
Routine can be the true key to keeping in touch. For example, try picking one night a week to Facetime a friend. Go as far as putting these dates in your planner; the more official you make it, the better the plan will come to fruition. If you cannot find mutual times in your schedules to Facetime, you can still “see” your friends by leaving messages in the form of video! We often forget about the seemingly simple forms of technology, but leaving a voicemail through video is a simple way to brighten someone’s day.
Walk and Talk
College students are arguably the busiest people on the planet (or so we like to complain). Despite the endless commitments of class, practice, office hours, meetings, among other time-consumers, the time it takes to get from one activity to the next should not be forgotten! Chatting on the phone during these walks is a great way to not only catch up with friends or family, but also ease the echo of a long lecture or tiring day. No matter how short the walk, it will always be worth the call.
Know Their Schedule
Having some idea of your long distance loved ones’ schedules can help make keeping in touch more fun, and less frustrating. This will help with all aspects of keeping in touch, and will prevent the incidence of “phone tag.”
It’s the Little Things
Not every form of staying in touch requires an exhausting session of detail-oriented catching up. Shooting a quick “miss you!” text, or tagging a friend in a funny video is an easy way to remind them that you are thinking of them.
Make Plans!
Lastly, while it is important to feel present and excited about your own school and commitments, do not be afraid to get excited about the future! Plans to visit friends at their respective schools, or even making the simple plan to grab lunch over Thanksgiving break can ease the difficulty of long distance.
Again, throughout all modes of keeping in touch, staying present where you are remains so important, which can be especially difficult for first-year students. Hopefully these tips can help to navigate how to stay in touch without disrupting the flow of life in college!