You’re not just friends, you’re like sisters.
She’s your platonic soulmate, and things just don’t seem whole without her.
To make things worse, you’re hours away from each other at college with brand new faces.
Being away from your best friend sucks. A lot. If you’re anything like me, there was rarely a day where you didn’t hang out with her at any opportunity, and now you’re separated for months.
Despite not having her physically there to lean on when times get rough, there are still ways to stay connected during your freshman year, to remind her that she’s appreciated, and to not let such an important person in your life fade away, simply because nobody made the effort to communicate!
Make her a mix. During senior year of high school, my best friend and I had the best moments when we were blasting embarrassing songs in my car while driving aimlessly, or parking in a scenic area and sharing our latest discoveries of new artists and songs. Compile a list of these iconic songs you used to jam to together if you want to go for a nostalgic vibe, or make a CD of new songs that you’ve found since being away. While burning the CD, you’ll be reminded of the great memories as you rediscover certain songs, and might even make new memories to these playlists with the friends you’ve made in college.
Mail a handwritten letter. You might not have the time to text her 24/7 like you used to, and it could seem like you’re less interested in the friendship if you leave someone “on read” too much. Sending a letter to her shows the little extra effort you put in to show that she’s in your thoughts, and everybody likes being surprised with mail for them!
Send a care package. Include your favorite snacks and candies that you two used to share on Netflix nights. Add in your favorite movie, pictures of the two of you, or a t-shirt from your college.
Set a weekly FaceTime date… and try not to cancel. You will both be crazy busy, drowning in homework, going to club meetings, and maintaining social lives of your own. A great way to resist being too clingy every day and stay in touch is to set a certain day and time each week to video chat and catch up. Pick a time where neither of you will be too busy, like a Sunday evening, and try to commit.
Accept what you can’t change. While you can send all the snacks in the world and double text until the sun goes down, sometimes you can’t force a friendship if it’s fading. A wise person once said, “We are meant to grow out of people.” While it’s important to remind people you’re thinking of them when you can, sometimes they’re busy, and sometimes they just won’t reciprocate the feeling. Accept that some friendships have an expiration date, and that this is not necessarily a bad thing! When placed into new situations, people will find their niche.
Don’t worry too much if you’re not getting responses every single day. You guys are connected and more likely than not, whenever in the future you see each other, things will pick up right where they left off. Thanksgiving break isn’t that far away. Before you know it, you’ll reunite in your hometown and catch up on everything that you’ve both been up to during the past few months. In the process, you just might realize how much fun you’ve had during the beginning of the college with your new friends, even when you were missing each other!