There are many things that can happen to separate you from the person that you have held to be your very best friend. Perhaps you both decide to go to school in different states, or maybe they have taken a job in a new city that isn’t exactly close by. While being separated from your bestie can be difficult, it is important to remember that this doesn’t mean you can’t remain close with that person.
Remaining connected to and close with your best friend will mean adapting your relationship a bit to fit the new circumstances in your lives. While this isn’t always the easiest thing to do, it is far from impossible.
The most important thing to remember is that the two of you have been through a great deal together over the years and that you can still continue to do so. Offering support and advice whenever it is needed is still going to be one of the key aspects of your friendship. That being said, having a best friend wouldn’t be quite the same without finding creative ways to continue doing the things that you have always done in order to bring a smile to your friend’s face.
With that in mind, here are four ways that you can still stay close to your best friend even if you are going to be living far apart for the foreseeable future.
1. Shopping
Whenever you have the need to head out to the mall and spoil yourself with a little retail therapy, your best friend is always the person that you call on to join you. Not only do they know what your personal style and taste is better than most people do, but you know that they will always be completely honest with you about what is worth a purchase and what would be better left behind.
You are both certainly going to miss those days out together when you are living farther apart. However, that doesn’t mean you have to give up shopping with your best friend entirely. There are actually a number of ways in which you can continue the retail fun even from a distance.
Online shopping is always an option. You can even download apps from your favorite stores and scroll through the sales together. That being said, it might be more fun to surprise your BFF with a bit of shopping that you can do on their behalf.
While sending your friend clothes can be tricky, you can always opt to send them things like jewelry or perfume that you think they’d love. If your friend is really in need of some spoiling, you can even subscribe them to a service like Scent Magic. This way, they can try out a variety of scents from month to month until they land on one that they love.
2. Movie Nights
Another thing that you will undoubtedly miss about having your best friend nearby is the spontaneous movie nights that you got to enjoy together. Maybe you would switch on the film that you have both loved for years, or perhaps you would spend a few hours catching up on your favorite T.V. show. Either way, that movie night undoubtedly meant a lot to you both.
Thankfully, you can still have a movie night together, in a sense, even with the distance between you. Just pick a day and time when you can both watch the same film or show and stock up on all of your favorite movie-watching treats. You can either text each other throughout to share in your reactions in real-time, or you can have a video call going while you watch together.
3. Care Packages
If you are in a situation where your friend has moved away from the city or region that you both have lived in for a long time, the chances are that there are going to be some home comforts that they miss. Whether it be a regional restaurant that you used to frequent together that they will no longer have access to or if there is some local store or shop that you both love, there are bound to be things about home that your friend is going to miss.
You can go the extra mile by sending them a care package from time to time that includes goodies and items from such a place. Sending your friend a bit of home will certainly brighten their day and help you both to feel more connected even with so much distance between you.
You can even jazz things up a bit by getting creative with the packaging and writing them a lovely card from the heart. A surprise care package filled with comforts from home is one of the best things you can send a long-distance BFF.
4. Make Plans
One of the most difficult parts about living far away from your best friend is not knowing when you will see each other again. Even though it might not be feasible to plan regular visits as often as you both would like, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any visits at all.
Whenever you both are feeling down about the distance, start talking about when the next visit might be able to happen. You might not be able to put concrete plans in motion just yet, but you can still look up flights and research all of the fun things you will be able to do once you are together again.
If you are visiting your friend next, make sure that you show a genuine interest in getting to know their new hometown. This will help them to feel more comfortable there and bring you closer together through new experiences.
Bear in mind that support and communication should always be at the forefront of your relationship, and that very well might start by you helping your friend to feel more at home in their new surroundings, no matter how far away that might be.
