Growing up, I had the same core friends. I hung out with them as much as possible and never thought twice about distance. I was lucky. Then came college. I was the only one going to FSU; everyone else was going somewhere different. For the first time in my life, all my friendships went from “see you this weekend” to “see you in a few months.” While I’m not an expert when it comes to friendships, doing long-distance for a few months has taught me some tips.
- Patience is key
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Now, I get it, who is patient nowadays? Being patient is truly essential for long-distance friendships. You must give yourself — and your friends — time to adjust. It’s going to be different, and that’s okay. Give yourself and your friends a little grace before you get back into the hang of things.
- Schedule time together
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We’re all college students, so we understand that college can truly be so busy, especially during exam season. Scheduling time to call or FaceTime your long-distance friends helps to make sure you are still able to carve out some time for them. Even if it’s once a week, talking to them that one time will make all the difference and give you something to look forward to. If you guys have extra time, even making a trip together is the perfect way to spend quality time together.
- be honest
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While this tip seems like a given, especially when dealing with friendships, it can be overlooked when doing long-distance. From personal experience, being upfront about how you feel when you miss them or when you would like to talk to them more does better in the long run. If you ignore your feelings, that’s where problems start. Honesty is the best policy, after all!
- take advantage of technology
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With these endless amounts of apps and videos, there are a few I love when it comes to long-distance friendships. Photocircle is an amazing app to dump all our random photos for you and your friends to enjoy. You can even add captions and replies, which makes the app so much better. I use it once a week to update my friends.
Another app, Locket, is similar to Photocircle, but it instantly updates your widget whenever someone adds a photo. It’s an instant reminder of your friends and seeing what they are up to.
The latest feature on Spotify (Apple Music lovers, this is your sign to download Spotify) is a blend where you can add multiple people, and Spotify will generate a playlist for the listeners. It’s the perfect way to see what your friends have been listening to and share music, even miles apart.
While long-distance may never be easy, it makes it all worth it in the end for the friendships. Distance helps make friendships stronger, so keep that in mind if you are ever missing your long-distance friends.
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