When I went away to college, I only went with a handful of people from my high school even though I was only a few hours away. I was fortunate enough to meet so many great people both in and out of my sorority that became my best friends. That’s why graduating was so difficult! I had to leave everyone I loved and relied on for four years. I went to New York and my friends all moved to different states, and we realized that staying close was really hard. But it can be done!
Long distance relationships in the romantic sense are tough, and being in a long distance friendship is difficult too. It’s almost more difficult because there’s not really an obligation to call your BFF who lives states away, you know? Just because you’re far away though doesn’t mean your friendship will end. Over the years, I’ve learned some great tips for keeping in touch with my long distance BFFs:
Send Pictures Of Everything
Sure, your friend can check out your Instagram feed or Facebook for photos of what you're up to, but that's not personal at all. Instead of relying on your friend to check social media, send her snapshots of cool stuff you do and see so she feels like she's there.
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Video Chat
I pretty much rely on FaceTime and Skype for talking to my far away friends. I video chat with my friends who aren't far away! Talking on the phone is great, especially when you're multitasking, but if you have some time to video cat, it's always nicer to see your BFF's face.
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Send Letters
You might text your friends all the time, but handwritten notes are so special and important. You don't have to send a long letter or anything. Just pop a postcard or a simple "Thinking of you" note in the mail. It'll be a great surprise.
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Send Care Packages
Care packages are fun to make and fun to get! If your BFF lives far and you're at home, send her some goodies from your hometown that she can't get. Or if you're the far away one, send her some of your favorite things from your new town. It doesn't have to be anything expensive or big either! Just a little something to let your BFF know you're thinking about her.
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Pull A Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants
Some of my friends and I did a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants move and pass around an item that means something to us. We each keep it for about a month and send it along with a note. It's a great and special way to keep everyone chatting!
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Set A Schedule
Everyone is busy because that's just how life works. It's easy to say that you can make time for your friends, but it's actually really hard to do it. Set a time with your friend that works with the both of you so you can make time to catch up on a regular basis. You'll look forward to that time every week!
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Don't Get Down
As hard as it is to be away from your BFFs, do your best not to get down about it. You will both be spending time with other friends and doing your own thing. At the end of the day, you are still going to be BFFs and it'll feel like no time has passed when you finally chat. It's important to be understanding when your friend doesn't have time to talk or forgets to respond to your text. If you're really upset that you haven't talked about it, be honest with her and let her know that you really miss her. You have to be open with your communication!
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Do you have a long distance best friend? How do you stay in touch? Tell us in the comments!
You can reach this post’s author, Caitlin Corsetti, on Twitter and Instagram!
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