This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SAU chapter.
As I finished my first semester at college and away from my home, I realized how much I missed my friends back home. As we are all freshmen or still in high school it is often hard to meet up in person or get together at all. Most of us discussed feeling lonely at some point during the semester. That is when we decided to put more effort into staying connected. These are the best and most fun ways I have found to keep my long distance friends close.
- Study Calls: This can be weekly, monthly or as often as you and your friends want to meet up. My friends and I do this weekly, we set up a zoom call and just work together, separately. I often try to save some of my writing homework for this time, so I can still talk to them while I work.
- Traveling Journal: Something new I am trying is a traveling journal. While all my friends currently live in different parts of the state, we wanted a more old fashioned way to connect all of us. This journal can be an old notebook or a beautifully decorated journal. The idea is each person gets the journal for a while and can put whatever they want in it during their time with the journal. One of my friends fills her pages with sketches and drawings. Another puts to do lists and messages about her days. I fill my pages with pressed flowers and fun facts.
- Watch Shows Together: Thanks to technology today is the best time to have long distance best friends, so take advantage of that. Do all your friends have a show you love or a movie? Hop on a Netflix watch party or whatever your streaming preference equivalent is and enjoy a movie together.
- Book Club: Movies not your vibe, how about books. Find a book that all your friends enjoy (This may be the most difficult part) and make your own mini book club. Best part is this doesn’t have to be a normal book club, there is no need for harsh deadlines and for this to even be a typical book. If you guys want to read comic books, great! If you want to take a cookbook and make a recipe every couple weeks, even better! This is completely up to you and your friends.
- Personal Playlist: One of my favorite ways to feel connected to my long distance friends is through music. I have a playlist for each of my closest friends. These playlists are filled with some of their favorite songs, songs that just give off the same vibe as them, or music that reminds me of them. The best part of the playlist is that not only do you have songs that make you think of your bestie, but this can also be a great cost free gift or you can build it with them. I have found that everyone loves the thought and work that goes into creating a set playlist for them, just like mixtapes from our parents’ generations.