Journalism of Courage
This is an archive article published on October 28, 2023
Long-distance friendships can be hard to maintain, here are 6 tips to keep them safe
Here are some ways you can keep your long-distance friendships safe, according to experts.
Long-distance friendships can be hard to maintain. (Source: A still from Friends)
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Long-distance friendships can be hard to maintain, here are 6 tips to keep them safe
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People often talk about how hard it is to be in long-distance relationships with your significant other but maintaining long-distance friendships is just as hard.
Though distance may make the heart grow fonder, it also makes it easier to have misunderstandings. Shreya Prakash, clinical psychologist at Lissun, explained that long-distance friendships change many vital aspects of the friendship dynamic. Reciprocity and maintaining the appropriate level of closeness and connectivity becomes important.
Because routines don’t often match, it can get hard to carve out time for each other. But friendships are not only based on communication and connectedness but also on the sense of being valued and cared for, especially in times of distress. The ability to reach out and offer help and support may get negatively affected due to gaps in communication and lack of opportunity to read nonverbal cues (such as in case of low mood, irritability, etc.).
Here are some ways you can keep your long-distance friendships safe, according to Prakash.
6 tips to master long-distance friendships
- Communication is the key to maintaining healthy relationships. This applies to long distance friendships as well. Regularly keeping in touch, sharing important milestones in life with long distance friends can inculcate a sense of inclusion in each other’s lives.
- Scheduling a dedicated timeslot and prioritizing each other during that time can increase feelings of being valued.
- Another important element in long distance friendships is the ability to be ‘vulnerable’ with each other- sharing the good and the ‘not-so-good’ aspects of life with each other can actually make you feel closer to each other.
- Scheduling meeting face-to-face every once in a while can enhance interaction and improve understanding of each other.
- Long distance friendships often ‘fade-out’ when one person feels like they’re putting in more efforts and it leads to a tendency to withdraw- putting a foot forward, than putting it backwards greatly helps in improving communication
- Well timed simple statements of appreciation like ‘I appreciate how you are always there for me even at a distance’, ‘thank you for always being there for me’ can go a long way in not just maintaining but also nurturing those long term friendships.
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