This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Ottawa chapter.
In high school, you used to see your friends everyday. There were always things to do together, and it was easy and convenient because there was no need to really plan out when you’d meet up. Now, you’ve moved away from home or your schedules are just so different that you actually have to put some effort into keeping in touch. Here are some fun and easy ways to do just that!
1. Try out some good old-fashioned snail mail. One of the nicest things to receive is a handwritten letter that someone you love put time in to write. It’s personal in the way getting a text or an email just isn’t. Plus adding in pictures is always a treat too! After all those years of taking selfies together, you’ll probably see something you completely forgot about.
2. Plan out a vacation together. If you’re going to schedule a date to see your friends, you may as well make it awesome and travel. Some of the best memories are made when you’re out together; going on an adventure is definitely going to be cherished.
3. Join a club together. For those who are still living in the same city, this is one of the easiest ways to see your friends. It’s easy to cancel or forget about those “we just have to see/do that together sometime!” but a club acts as a safety net because you’re committing yourself to a bigger organization. Whether it’s a book club, a sports team, or an art class, finding whatever interests you share makes it worthwhile every time you reconnect again.
4. Play online games. There are so many to choose, whether you’re into ones on the internet, or something easy on your phone, you get to talk and have fun playing just like the good old days.
5. Facebook, Skype, SnapChat. It’s the easiest one of all and just has to be mentioned: your trusty cellphone. My favourite is SnapChat, because you can send off a picture of whatever you’re doing at the moment. There’s a certain intimacy you get because for a moment, it’s almost as if you’re really they’re with them.
6. Back to getting things in the mail, send care packages. We all love Christmas and birthdays, and there’s nothing more exciting than getting a present. That surprise and joy you get when you open up a box and there are all these personalized gifts is the best! Because who else would know your favourite candy brands and candle scents?
7. Phone calls. Talking to catch up is easy, but sometimes you don’t want to talk about school and work, and more homework. If you used to watch movies together all the time, you can do the same together this way too. Just turn on the movie, have the phone on speakerphone, and it’ll almost be like they’re on the couch with you.
8. For all you creative writers out there, write a story together! Send pieces back and forth, and collaborate. Especially if you don’t really plan anything out, you’ll never know where it’s going and it’ll guarantee a good laugh.
9. For the music lovers, make a playlist of the latest tunes you’ve been falling in love with lately. Sending them back and forth is fun, and guaranteed to be played on the next night you go out for karaoke.
10. An alternate form for readers would be to swap to-be-read lists. Whatever you and your friends are reading lately can easily be shared and if you’re okay with writing on your books, you can easily leave little notes on what you were thinking at any point in the story.
The next time you’re in a nostalgic mood and wracking your brain on how to make staying in touch less of an effort, you should try one of these!
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