University is an important and exciting time in any young person’s life. For many, they are moving away from home and their families for the first time in their lives. For many, they’ll also be moving away from their friends as well.
Many people come back home for the holidays to find that all of their friends have moved away to uni as well. So how do you make sure you keep in touch and not drift apart?
It can be hard, but there are plenty of ways of making things work.
Spend loads of time with them before you go
As soon as you or your friends know that they’ll be moving away, make sure you spend as much time as possible with one another. Don’t just say you’ll spend time with each other, make sure that you actually do!
Make sure you see everyone you care about and who you’ll miss. Make sure your friends know how much you’ll miss them. When you do move away, it’ll make them want to keep in contact that bit much more.
Be open with yourself, and your friends
Moving away is a big thing, and will bring up all sorts of emotions. Talk them through with your friends so they know what you’re thinking and feeling. It’ll also help you know what they’re thinking and feeling too. Hug it out, cry it out, anything to prepare yourselves for what is about to come.
Master the art of communication
You’re probably not going to see each other face-to-face for a while, so master the art of communication. Become a master of WhatsApp, facetime, messenger and social media.
Make sure to keep in contact with your friends and be sure to message each other frequently. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone too. Sometimes, hearing the sound of your friend’s voice can make you feel a million times better.
Accept that you can’t keep them all
There’s going to be so much going on in your life at uni, you’re bound to not be able to keep in touch with everyone back home. Similarly, Some of your friends may feel this way as well. You’ll have to accept that you can’t stay friends with everyone.
People do drift apart from each other, it’s a fact of life. Try not to beat yourself up too much about it. Focus on the friendships that mean the most to you, as well as trying to make new friends in your new city.
Make sure you meet up
From time to time, you’ll have the opportunity to catch up with your friends face-to-face. Take every opportunity you can. Use it as a way to show your friends that you still want to be friends with them.
You can catch up, find out what everyone is up to and help one another out. If you’ve been a bit tardy with keeping in touch, use this as an opportunity to reaffirm your commitment to them.
You never know where you may end up later in life. You and your friends could end up living close by again!
