Reviving Long-distance Friendships

Since break started, I saw a lot of things online about how different friendships from home are after the first semester of college. There is a lot of tension and distance in relationships with people you are used to seeing every day. 

I personally went through this myself, friendships aren’t perfect and sometimes time apart can be weird to come back from. It may seem daunting or upsetting, especially if you thought you and your friends would be able to go back to the way things used to be. It’s hard to stay in contact and talk as often as you once did, while being at school hours apart in completely new places. 

While I’m not an expert on friendship, these are the ways I tried to reconnect and bring back relationships that seemed to have been lost during this first semester.

The easiest way I tried to ease the tension was by simply reconnecting. While it may seem obvious, making plans can help bring you back together. A simple lunch or shopping trip where you have the chance to catch up can help bring you closer and ease any sense of distance you have felt in the relationship over the last semester. 

While reconnecting, things may still be weird, and there still might be that feeling of not being as close anymore, and sometimes that just requires facing it head on. Even if you aren’t a confrontational person (because I sure am not), it can make things so much better if you simply ask them if they are also feeling this way. After this, you can both talk about you feelings and why you seemed to have drifted apart while at school. It can seem daunting but can be crucial to mending distance in a relationship. 

The last way I had to confront the distance that had seemed to accumulate over the semester is by accepting that in some cases, there is nothing to be done about the space that has grown between you. 

Sometimes friendships fizzle, and for me it was important to remember that three weeks at home can’t undo four months apart. It may not be as easy to reconnect as you had hoped, but it is definitely worth it to try and work things out. 

• college life
• old friends
• relationships