Tips for Staying in Touch with Long-Distance Family and Friends
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Tips for Staying in Touch with Long-Distance Family and Friends
We’ve all had those relationships with either a friend or a family member that has grown apart due to distance. It’s tough to stay connected to another person when they’re hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. Everybody leads their own busy lives and it makes it extremely difficult to try and coordinate your chaotic schedule with someone else’s chaotic schedule just to have a couple moments of catch-up time.
Nobody wants an important relationship to dwindle just because distance is now an issue that comes into play. Follow these tips for staying in touch and connected with long-distance family members and friends:
#1 Visit Each Other
Take turns visiting each other. If your friend or family member moved to a new city, this will give you the opportunity to see what goes on in their lives on a daily basis. You’ll actually get to physically see and experience the delicious coffee shop on the corner that they’ve talks about all the time instead having to rely on how you pictured it in your head.
If you’re the one who moved to a new location, visiting your loved one will be a nice way to reconnect with your old town and reminisce about the good memories you shared there together.
#2 Plan Skype Dates
Sometimes, talking on the phone just doesn’t cut it. Plan a recurring time that works for both of you to sit down and have a Skype session. It makes such a difference being able to physically see the other person and be able to interact with them “face to face”. When choosing a weekly/monthly time to Skype with each other, be conscious of potential time differences and try your hardest to make this virtual encounter a priority every time.
Being able to actually see facial expressions, hand gestures and overall body language makes it easier for you to feel connected and closer to your long-distant friend or family member.
#3 Write Each Other Letters
Everyone loves getting mail, right? Even better is when you receive an unexpected letter from a long-distant relative or best friend. This doesn’t have to be a regularly scheduled occurrence. If you’re out and about and come across a card that made you laugh, write a nice message and send it to your friend so they can enjoy it as well.
#4 Keep Up with Each Other’s Daily Lives
When catching up with a long-distance family member or friend, make sure you are catching up on the little things going on in their life, instead of just focusing on the big updates like job offers and new love interests. Keeping up-to-date with the small details of their life such as a new recipe they tried out the other night or a kickboxing studio they’ve been thinking about joining will ensure that your relationship is as strong as ever before.
#5 Take Trips Together
Not only is it important for you and your friend/relative to visit each other, but taking trips together where you will share adventures is a fun and exciting way to stay connected. This doesn’t have to be some long and extravagant vacation. Even something as simple as a relaxing weekend getaway to Palm Springs or a fun weekend ski trip will do the job. It’s more exciting if you pick a place where neither of you have been, that way you can share the new experience together.
#6 Send Each Other Care Packages
I’m sure there are many things that your friend or family member are missing that they can’t get in their new town. Or maybe you’re the one in a new place and want to send some goodies to your loved one so they can get a feel for what your place of residence has to offer. Every once in awhile, gather a few of each other’s favorite things and send your friend or family member a thoughtful care package to make your bond even stronger.
Bella Vista Health Center Wants to Help Keep You Connected
Here at Bella Vista Health Center, we offer visiting hours 24/7 so your friends and family can keep connected with you at any time. We also provide multiple social activities on a daily basis so there’s always something fun to do with your visitors while you recover back to your personal best.
