Like everything in life, you make time for the things you truly care about. Simply put, in order to stay in touch with friends—long-distance or not—you have to put in the effort. It’s not always easy, and naturally, the communication can come in waves where you’re really good about texting or calling back and other times there’s just not enough time in your schedule. That’s perfectly normal. Plus, when factoring in different time zones, it can feel nearly impossible to get ahold of each other. Oh, the endless game of phone tag. COVID restrictions have also made it more difficult to make plans with out-of-state friends. To keep your friendships going strong, we’re sharing creative ways to stay connected with your pals who don’t live in the same city as you.
• If your schedule is crazy busy, multitask while you’re catching up. Put your friend on FaceTime or speaker while you prep your meals for the week. Make Sunday nights your cooking and conversation evening. You’ll start the week feeling productive since you prepped your meals, and your heart will be full after laughing and hearing your friend’s voice.
• Plan a running FaceTime or outdoor cocktail hour with your besties. It can be weekly or monthly, whatever fits your schedules.
• Communicate. If a group text is constantly blowing up to the point where it starts to overwhelm you, just let your friend know. Hey, I’m not ignoring you, I just can’t keep up with all the text messages. I’m free XXX, let’s properly catch up then.
• Don’t forget about snail mail. There’s nothing sweeter than receiving an unexpected handwritten note from a long-distance friend. Plus, if you’re the friend sending the note, it’ll force you to slow down and take your time to write your thoughtful note.
• Organize a monthly ~virtual~ game night. Each month, you can play a different game. To make it a little competitive, select a prize for the winner each time.
