Having long-distance relationships are hard, but I find that having long-distance best friendships can be even harder. If there is one thing that moving to college has taught me, it’s my appreciation for my best friend. The endless laughs at 2:00 a.m., the mcflurry runs when it’s pouring down rain, even doing our hair and nails for absolutely no reason at all—these are things that I wish I could go back to right now. It’s hard to move away and still maintain the best friendship, but I am going to let you in on some tips and tricks that my best friend and I have stuck to that seem to be working for us.
1. Be Prepared
Adapting to change is never easy. My best friend and I were always together. There weren’t ever days where we would go without seeing one another. Considering we were always together, we both understood that it was going to be hard to say goodbye the first time I left for college. We knew that we weren’t going to be able to have sleepovers and watch reality TV together for some time. But we did know that even though there was going to be a huge separation between us physically, it was important to stay close emotionally. Learning to adapt to this huge change in our friendship was not easy in the slightest, but it was something that I think has made our friendship even stronger than before.
2. Planning Times To Call One Another
Everyone has different schedules; that is inevitable. But making sure to have a planned time to talk is so important when maintaining a long-distance relationship of any type. Because my best friend and I have such different schedules, sometimes it is hard to coordinate times where we can call or facetime one another.
Finding a time for you and your best friend to actually talk to one another is something that will go a long way. And this does not mean that you can only talk at these set times. There have been times where I am not doing anything, and I will just decide to pick up the phone and call my best friend. Even those random five-minute phone calls make a huge difference in each other’s day.
3. Planning Trips
Something that I find important in any relationship is making time to see one another in person. Since both of us are still in school, sometimes it is hard to plan trips unless we have the same summer, fall, winter or spring break. But I find that making sure that you never say goodbye and always say see you soon makes a huge difference. Not only does it give you and your best friend something to look forward to, but it also gives you something to plan and talk about together. If my best friend and I were to plan a trip to NYC in four months from now, we would be able to bond and get excited together about what is to come soon.
4. Being There 100 Percent of the Time
For me, the most important thing that I valued in our friendship when we were still two miles away from one another was the fact that we were always there for one another. Since I moved 400 miles away, I have realized that being there for one another is more important than ever before.
Having a person to call when you’re feeling stressed or anxious is something that every person, in my mind, needs. As the months have passed my best friend and I are still able to talk to one another about anything. Even though we aren’t able to hug one another or be there in person for one another, we are still there for one another.
5. Remember That You’re Still Best Friends
I cannot tell you how many times my best friend and I would turn down plans with other people because we knew all we needed was one another. That feeling of being so loyal to someone can get in the way of making new friends. I have had to learn that my best friend is going to be my best friend no matter what. If someone asks you to go out and you want to go out with them, then do it. Don’t be worried that your best friend thinks that you’re “cheating on them.” And if you are worried that your best friend is getting jealous of your new friendships, then the two of you need to talk it out.
I’m not going to lie, I wish I could still see my best friend every day and watch Netflix all night long and get McFllurries in the pouring down rain. There are things that we have to go through in life to better ourselves. Even though I can’t see my best friend every day doesn’t mean that she’s not there for me 100 percent of the time. Just because these tips have helped me and my best friend through our times of separation doesn’t mean it will work for every friendship. Effort matters. Just like everything else in life, it’s all about what you put into it. And if you put effort into your friendship, no matter the distance, it all works out.
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