Happy Best Friend Day! One (horrid) symptom of growing up is mobility and finding yourself hours away from some of the people you hold near and dear, particularly your best friend. I actually met my best friend in high school (we celebrated our 10 year best friendaversary at the beginning of this month with sappy Instagram posts) and you would think I would be okay with living far from her by now. That is still not the case. As I stare at the random DIY love present that I just made (and will hopefully actually ship), I miss her a lot and pray that one day our paths cross again.
Ok, emotional moment over. (I hope.)
One of the best things about our friendship is though we haven’t been able to see each other daily for over 8 years, we’ve been able to keep our relationship strong. If you’ve recently moved away from your bestie, or just wondered how to keep a long distance bestie relationship strong for a lifetime, I have a few tips for you.
1. Set expectations.
How often do you need to talk to keep that long distance bestie loving going strong? My best friend and I can go weeks without talking. No hard feelings on either end, life just gets busy. She’s in med school. I’m always running around like a headless chicken. We don’t take offense at these moments because have the mutual understanding that we won’t talk every single day. But once we do pick up the phone, we’re laughing and chatting it up like always.
2. Talk and listen.
Sometimes in catch-up calls it can be easy to rattle on about what’s going on with you. Be sure to take time to listen to your best friend and ensure their well-being. A simple hello could be a cry for more, and you don’t want to miss out on that. Whether they just need an ear or they need your advice, be ready to be there emotionally for your friend, no matter near or far.
3. Make technology work for you.
Facebook. Snapchat. Skype. FaceTime. There’s really no excuse not have that face-to-face time, or at least in a virtual sense. Sometimes when my best friend and I are particularly busy, I’ll send her Apple calendar invite for a catch-up call just so we both remember. Living in the digital age is great. Make the best of it!
4. Share something.
Whether it’s Scandal or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (current read, very obsessed), pick something you can share and discuss. I enjoy calling my best friend and talking about Scandal characters like we know them. It’s like high school gossip but better. And bound to be a lot of laughs.
5. Plan visits.
Since my best friend is from the same state I am, I try to catch her when we both are home for the holidays. Communication is great but nothing beats physical time together. Currently, I am also selling kidneys and scraping pennies to go visit her soon. (Just kidding about the kidney part, kinda.) No pressure, but when you can, it’s pretty darn great.
All in all, it will serve you well to treat your long distance friendship like a long distance relationship (minus the sexting and whatnot). You’ll get what you put into it. Luckily, it is easier than ever to stay in close contact with texting, social media and other technologies. And don’t forget to give your best friend an e-hug and tell him/her Happy Best Friend Day!
Credits: Travis Isaacs