Long Distance Friendships!💛
Helloo everyone coming across, I hope this post finds you doing well.💛
I feel there's a lot of compassion and tips to around managing "long distance relationships" which are difficult, of course, but something I find less-talked-about and something that is deserving of more importance are our long-distance-friendships.Â
Such is adult-hood at times and life getting all lifey, leading us to move farther from our friend(s), people leave and shift to different places for xyz different reasons, for studies, work, better opportunities, circumstances in life etc and it can be an incredibly daunting experience "leaving people behind" or "being the one who's left behind", a lot of these friendships sort of dwindle away with time and gaps in communication or emotional distance along with the physical distance, but there's just some of these friendships and some of these super special people that we want to hold dearly still and try our best to have them in our life, despite the distance, and soooo say hello to the concept of long distance friendship hehe.Â
Ooh and even the online friendships can be included here, people we haven't met in-person, but still vibe with and find some solace in their presence over the online-medium.💛
Opening space for some reflection and sharing support with one another.💛
Feel free to answer any and all that you feel comfortable with-
💛 Do you have any long distance friends? How do you feel about staying friends despite the distance between y'all?Â
💛 If at all any, what are your usual struggles in your long-distance friendship? How do you navigate those?
💛 What keeps you and your long distant friend connected still? What are the little ways in which you manage to keep the bond alive?
💛 Any tips to nurture healthy, loving, long-term friendships even through the distance?
Would love to hear from you and here's hoping we can all foster a mutually supportive and empathetic space here!💛
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou Hey Sun! Always great to hear from you! 🌞 I do have some long distance friends and we try staying in contact now and then, though the mundane responsibilities of life tends to play out and there’s little room left to chat as we did before.
Navigating these challenges are quite difficult actually. However, we all know that at the end of the day, despite the lack of communication as we had before we all still care very much for each other.
One tip I have to nurture healthy long-term friendships is not to take anyone for granted. Let them know that they are loved and cared for. Just saying it helps nurture friendships and tighten connections. The little things we do also matter.
I always enjoy reading your posts and hearing these thought-provoking questions. Keep up the great work. 💓
Hey hey @GentleHealingInitiative always super great to see you too. 💖
Aw yes, life and it's mundane responsibilities get in the way of having some regular ish contact, despite our best interest and effort, making it seem quite challenging to navigate. :(Â
But I like how you mention that despite the lack of regular communication, the care and love is still there and indeed, it is what keeps us going.Â
Wowww! To not take anyone for granted~ biggest yes to these, I feel specially in today's fast life there's so much to do and make sense of that it often gets "easier" to overlook people and even if we aren't actively or knowingly taking people for granted, something usually seems to be more important and more demanding of our seemingly limited time and attention.Â
So yes while we may not be actively letting other things take-over, it's sooo important to be mindfully invested in letting people know we love and care about them, how they'll always have a space to reach out to. Little things, that go a long long way, indeed!🥰
Absolutely love your tips and thank youuu for the sweet compliments hehe, people like you continue to encourage me to keep doing more of this. So a big thanks to *you*, for being so generously appreciative and lovely always. 🤗💖
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou I sincerely appreciate all your kind words. It made my day! 💓 You are such a blessing and an amazing person. Please keep on being you and continue being awesome. I appreciate you. Thank you for all that you do. 🤗
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou When I was younger, I used to have long distance friendships with people I grew up with or attended school with. This was, of course, at a time when it was easier to "make" friends. Even with their moving away or my moving away, we did all the things to keep the spark alive. We would talk on the phone, Skype, send each other care packages and gifts, write and decorate letters, and visit each other when we could. Friendships were just easier then. But after time, they also just come and go. I've only had one true friend that has remained. ♡
In my mid 30s, it's not easy to make friends. I'm an introvert, so I don't really even try. I do count the friends I have here on 7 Cups to be my friends; and they add happiness to my life. Even behind the screen, their words or graphics really do make my heart smile. For me, that's enough. ♡ I'm grateful.Â
For anyone with real, true friends, please don't take them for granted. Love on them and show them you appreciation through your words. Let your gestures of kindness and love do the speaking over your words.Â
Hey hey @YourCaringConfidant thank you for responding.💖
Gosh, so many relatable things here.
"But after time, they also just come and go."~ yes, indeed, despite the many many efforts, sometimes there's still a lack of consistency in the bond, just opening room for accepting that not every friend is a forever-friend. The time spent is still time-enjoyed and time cherished, and I think it still counts.
To the one friendship that really survived all these years everything in between~ wow!🧿💖
Aww can relate with the struggles of making friends as an introverted person and it certainly can be more difficult in adulthood. (':Â
You are a loving, caring, thoughtful hooman and the sweetest friend one can ask for, Desiree, I'm sure your cups friends are equally grateful to have your beautiful presence and friendship too.💖
"Let your gestures of kindness and love do the speaking over your words."~ Yessss, super needed to continually let the true ones know we appreciate them and value their presence in our life. Such a kind reminder.🥰