Top 10 Tips To Maintain Long-Distance Friendships

Long gone are the days of telegrams, postcards, and emails to keep in touch. And with social media, distance can seem much less nowadays. But, that doesn’t stop you from missing your closest friends from time to time. If you’ve moved or they’ve moved away, it can be difficult to stay in touch. But that doesn’t mean you have to lose your special connection. Keep reading to discover our top 10 tips on how to maintain your long-distance friendships.

1. Keep in touch in some way

After a long day at work or running around after children, it’s understandable if you don’t have the time (or energy) to catch up with your long-distance besties. So, keep the contact going in small ways instead. This can be sending them a relatable meme, sharing a song you know they’ll like, or forwarding an old photo that you’ve found. Little gestures like this are a great way to feel close to each other and are doable on a daily basis.

2. Arrange catch-up sessions

Plan a catch-up session every couple of months. Use video call or Zoom and dedicate a night to catching up and having fun! You can play games, do quizzes, have some drinks, and listen to music. Hey, you could even take turns ‘presenting’ slides about what’s been happening in the past few weeks, so everyone’s up to date. Who said long-distance couldn’t be fun?

Bonus tip: managing different time zones

Are you or your friends in a different time zone? Well, never fear! Granted, it might take a bit more organizing to get you all on a call. But it’s not impossible. You’ll just have to be mindful of who’s behind or ahead. In fact, researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, discovered that busy adults in different time zones are able to maintain long-distance friendships, all thanks to digital communication. So there you go! A little bit of distance isn’t enough to keep you and your friends apart.

3. Utilize group chats

Group chats are great for several reasons. They allow you to be close to multiple people all at once. Yet require significantly less effort than one-on-one conversations. Make the most out of group chats with your school friends, university friends, and everyone else in between. Share memes, old photos, job updates, and your latest love-life disasters. Or, simply scroll through and see what everyone else has been up to. It’s bound to get you in stitches!

Bonus tip: Manage FoMO

If your friends are still together, it’s normal to experience FoMO at some point. FoMO (fear of missing out) is a term coined in 2004 to describe the feeling of anxiety that you’re missing out on something exciting usually sparked by social media. Researchers have found that FoMO negatively impacts mental health, physical well-being, and even sleep. So, if your group chats or social media feeds are causing FoMO, there’s no harm in taking a break. Your friends will surely understand.

4. Establish new traditions

Take this opportunity to get your creative juices flowing and experiment with different ways to keep in touch. There’s nothing more sentimental than hand-written letters, for example. It can become somewhat of a ritual for you both; writing letters and then eagerly waiting for a reply. And how about birthdays? Well, you could factor in a virtual gathering alongside your other celebrations. Take the distance as an opportunity to try out new things.

5. Embrace new opportunities

If your bestie has upped and moved to another country, hey, you’ve got a whole new place waiting for you to explore! Or, if you’re the one who’s moved, invite your friends over to visit. You’ll get to see each other and create life-long memories. You could even arrange to reunite in another country for a vacay — two birds, one stone!

6. Involve your kids

Of course, if you have children, you want them to feel close to your long-term friends. So, get your kids involved. Tell them funny stories about you and your friends. Show them old pictures of you all. Send photos of your kids to your friends. And equally, show as much interest in your friends’ children. As your kids get older, they’ll no doubt appreciate having friends in other places in the world.

7. Accept the situation

Accept that your relationships have evolved. You might miss your friends or perhaps even feel guilty. But, unfortunately, distance is unavoidable in life. Avoid dwelling on it or exhausting yourself trying to maintain the same level of contact. As much as you want to stay connected with your friends, you also don’t want to be glued to your phone and miss out on the present. If you’re the one who’s moved, remember, you made this decision for a very good reason. If your friend’s the one who’s moved, try your best to support their decision from afar. With time, you’ll all adjust to this new norm.

8. Don’t be afraid of less contact

Sure, these were people you spoke to every day and saw a couple of times a week at one point. And now, you can go a few weeks or even months without speaking properly. And that’s okay! Weeks without speaking doesn’t reflect on the friendship. In adult life, it’s normal to speak to some friends less, and that’s without factoring in long-distance. If you were in the same city, you’d be surprised by how little you actually saw each other. Work, families, and other responsibilities all take priority as you get older. So, don’t be afraid of less contact. All that matters is when you do finally see each other, it’s like no time has passed at all.

9. Avoid reminiscing too much

When you meet up with long-distance friends, it’s easy to get caught up reminiscing about the good ole days. When you were younger, and perhaps wilder. While this is great every now and then, avoid doing it all the time. It can prevent friendships from developing further. Instead, plan fun and exciting activities together. Spa days, holidays, festivals, you name it. Even if you’ve been friends for years, you can keep the friendship alive.

10. Make the most out of when you are together

Whether it’s been six months or two years, you’ll often find that when you finally reunite, it’s like no time has passed at all. And you’ll very quickly slide into your old ways. Make the most of the limited time you have together. Spend hours catching up. Plan a day trip here or there. And, if you’re in your hometown, try to get everyone together for a group gathering. There’ll be plenty of tears, laughter, and a whole lot of love.

One final thought…

Maintaining long-distance friendships can be tricky. But it isn’t impossible. If you’ve already established a secure friendship with someone, you’ll often find distance doesn’t mean a thing. Sure, there are times when all you want is a hug from your bestie, and it might be difficult in the beginning. But that love and connection will always be there. That thought alone is enough to keep the friendship going! For more tips and advice on everything from friends to partners, check out our Relationships blogs. Only at Beginning.com.