Sometimes the best friendships are the hardest ones to keep. Take long-distance friendships, for example: You love the person more than anything, and you can't imagine them not being part of your life — but yeah, maybe you forget to show how much you care sometimes. It's not that you don't care; maintaining any kind of long-distance relationship can be difficult, and it's easy to get distracted by ~life~ and stuff when you can't see your BFF at a moment's notice. If you want to work on keeping the friendship strong in 2019, establishing New Year's resolutions for long-distance friends, and setting intentions to stay in touch, will help you feel closer to your bestie until the next time you guys can squeeze each other in a big hug.
The truth is, long-distance friendships don't have to survive on wistful sighs of "I miss you" and "I wish you were here." In fact, focusing on what you don't have in the friendship probably won't help things in general. But you know what might? Figuring out those little ways in which you can be part of each other's day-to-day in the new year.
Look, I'm not saying maintaining a long-distance friendship is easy, especially if it's someone you're really close to. But that's part of what can make the bond between long-distance friends so much stronger than others: It takes that much more effort to keep the relationship going, and you both know deep down that you can always lean on each other whenever you need a laugh, or simply need someone to listen to you vent on the phone for a little while.
That bond is unbreakable, and distance has nothin' on you guys. Here are a few resolutions to help keep your friendship strong in 2019.
"And set reminders so that you don't forget," suggests Meg Josephson, a licensed clinical social worker based in New York City.
Try to pick quiet times throughout the day that will allow both of you to have some privacy and personal space, rather than when you're in the middle of running a billion errands or working on a project. If you're thoughtful about how you schedule this time, Josephson tells Elite Daily over email, you'll come to see it as a luxury instead of a stressor.
In her experience at least, Josephson tells me, investing in Airpods can be a game-changer for long-distance friendships. "It's such a small thing, but they've changed my relationship to my phone," she explains. "They are so easy to use and make chatting on the phone so much more enjoyable and more of a novelty."
In the past, Josephson says, she might've just zoned out to music as she was leaving, say, the gym or the grocery store, but now, she's that much more likely to pick up the phone and call a friend to catch up. Makes sense, right?
"As silly as it sounds, put your notifications on for when your faraway friend posts something on Instagram," suggests Josephson. "It's easy to get lost in the shuffle (especially with the new algorithm), and these days, someone's Instagram feed is a great way of keeping up with them."
These notifications can also serve as reminders to reach out to your long-distance bestie if you haven't chatted much in awhile, or to talk about any upcoming plans you want to make.
"Planning your next meet-up can be a great way to keep in touch, talk about different things, and even learn more about each other," Nathan Hockley, co-owner of Lasting The Distance, a website for help and advice for people in long-distance relationships, tells Elite Daily in an email.
It can take a lot of time and effort to plan something like a long-distance meet-up, Hockley explains, which is what will make that moment when you finally do see each other so much more special. "Accomplishing a goal with a friend is something that you won't easily forget, and it's something you'll be able to look back on and cherish for many years to come," he says.
Here's a fun one: Plan a vacation with your long-distance bestie — even if it's like, a whole year in advance.
"Research has shown that more than half of the pleasure associated with vacation occurs in the planning phase, when you are anticipating the good time you will have," Josephson explains. "If you can afford it, meet somewhere neither of you lives so you can have the experience of exploring something new together."
It's expensive and sometimes hard to get away from your everyday life, but a memory like this with your favorite person in the world would truly be priceless.
