As we get older, sometimes our friendships seem to diminish. Maybe we don’t have enough time for hangouts like we used to, or perhaps we just move further away from our friends as we get different careers. It’s hard to lose friends due to distance or working schedules, so this blog will teach you how to maintain those best friendships and even teach you some tricks on how to make more if you’re off to college or living away from your friends from home.
What You Can Do To Keep and Maintain Friendships
Scheduling Hangouts and Making Time To Meet-Up
If you’re worried that work is getting in the way of meeting up with friends, try to find a time where you’re all free. Whether that’s a late night or an early morning, there are a lot of different activities to do and places to visit at any time of the day. Some of these places include:
- Coffee shops. If you and your friends work afternoons or maybe even have a 9 to 5 schedule, you can make some time in the morning to meet up for coffee. It can make for a quick caffeine meet-up before you’re both off to work! This could even work if you both have a lunch break. Leaving work to grab a bite with friends is a great activity to get away from an office setting for a little to catch up and talk.
- Dinner friend date. After work, you can schedule a dinner outing with friends. This is a perfect way to get good food and good conversation at the same time! If there’s a night that you’re typically freer than others, maybe this can become a weekly activity to stay connected and well-fed!
- Schedule a trip together. Even a couple of days away with friends can make a difference. You’ll want to plan ahead and take time off, especially if you decide to go for a week! Vacationing will allow for time to relax and talk away from work.
As long as you allow yourself some time to meet up with your friends, keeping a connection for years should be simple! Even if that’s once a week or even once a month, catching up is key to maintaining a friendship.
Check-In With One Another
Be Present and Around to Talk When Needed
Sometimes all a friend really needs is a text asking how life is going, maybe even asking about a new job or how their weekend plans were. Checking in allows you to make sure they’re doing okay, and you can even share details about what’s going on in your life too! Simple ways you can check in include:
- Weekly text. If you don’t have time or maybe forget to text them daily, try sending them a weekly text just to see how they’re doing and what they’re up to. Just doing something simple like this will let them know you’re thinking about them and want to ensure they’re alright. If you have multiple friends you want to check in on, maybe even try to make a group chat to keep everyone in touch!
- Calling them. If they live in a different state than you, this is the perfect way to let them know you’re thinking about them! It allows you to really have a conversation unlike a quick text message, and you’ll be able to actually hear their reactions, which is difficult through a simple text. If you decide to Facetime them, you’ll even be able to see their face and what they’re up to. Frequent phone calls are a great way to check in while involved in a long-distance friendship.
Both of these ways of communication will show them that you care especially if you’re both far away from one another! Make sure to always check in on your friends.
How To Make Friends As An Adult
Ways To Find More People To Relate To
Although it can be hard to make more friends as we get older since we have many priorities like significant others, children, and work to deal with, it’s still possible to find connections as an adult. But, there needs to be an effort made to make and maintain these relationships. You’ll also need to learn to put yourself out there and have continuous interactions for the friendships to last. Other things you’ll need to do to make friends as an adult can include:
- Being vulnerable. You need to be able to share things about yourself on a deeper level rather than just talking about work or shared experiences with one another. When you start to talk about the deeper aspects of your life, you may even be able to relate to each other even more.
- Introduce yourself at events. If you’re at a party and maybe came with one friend but would like to make more, you’ll have to introduce yourself. Without introducing yourself to others, people won’t know that you want to have a conversation and probably won’t come up to you themselves. Taking the initiative by introducing yourself is a big step in meeting new friends.
- Trying new things. By expanding your activities and trying something you’ve never done before, you can find people who’ve done the same and make a close connection with one another. Getting out of your comfort zone is a great way to meet new people!
- Talking with co-workers. Although it may seem weird to hang out with coworkers outside of the office since you may see them on the daily already, speaking outside of work can help you see other things you may have in common. You could even talk about the latest work gossip!
- Talk to people at the gym or at a networking event. Just saying hi and having a casual conversation with someone could lead you to a new friendship. You can notice things you may both have in common and can share relatable life experiences with one another. Maybe you could even set up a meet-up for lunch to sit and chat about life afterward!
You can find many things in common and make a new friend by just having a small conversation with someone at a store or gym.
To maintain friendships as an adult that you’ve already had, you want to ensure you check in with friends every once in a while to let them know you care. You’ll also want to plan days for hangouts and make sure they know you’re always there for them. Although it can sometimes be hard to find time to hang out or even talk to one another, shooting them a quick text letting them know you’re always around to talk can do everything you need to maintain that best friendship.
You don’t ever want them to feel neglected by you or like your interactions are diminishing, try your best to reach out whenever you can, and that way, your friends will last through thick and thin!
