As you scroll through the old images on your phone, you can’t help wonder at the wedge that time has driven between you and your friends. You used to do everything together. Your photo feed is a veritable catalog of all the good times you’ve shared over the years. But as you got older you started to shoulder more and more responsibilities. Maybe one or more of you had kids. Maybe you got married. Or maybe you got married to your job and your career. One thing’s for sure, though. You don’t talk as much as you used to. Oh sure, you’re always the first to like and comment on one another’s social media posts. And there are always nebulous plans to “get together some time” on your group chat… but the gap between you seems only to grow wider as time goes by.
Is losing friends inevitable as you get older? Or can you pull your friendship group back together with your bare hands?
The importance of keeping in touch
Believe it or not, there’s a scientifically observed age at which friendship groups tend to deteriorate. And it’s much younger than you may think. If you’re older than 25 and still see your friends regularly, congratulations! You’re in a minority and closer than most. But in the social media age, we mustn’t mistake online interaction for the kind of social interaction we need to stay mentally, emotionally and physically healthy.
Still, keeping the flame alive can be challenging, especially when you all have work, relationship and family commitments that occupy so much of your time and attention. Here are some surefire ways to bring your group closer together…
Find an excuse to throw a party
There’s always an excuse to throw a party. Maybe you have a birthday coming up. Maybe you want to celebrate a new job or promotion. Or maybe you want to avoid cliche this February 14th and throw a Galentine’s Day Gala for your Gal Pals. You really don’t need a good reason to throw a party. Just head on over to Just Artifacts for some party supplies. Order in a lot of wine. Make a playlist of your old favorites and away you go…
Send something in the post
We have so many ways to keep in touch these days that communication has kind of lost its intimacy. If you’re worried that you don’t occupy the same position in the hearts and minds of your friends that you used to, try sending them a letter, card or gift through the post. You may be surprised at how effectively this gets the conversation flowing again.
Get specific about planning
Stop making those nebulous “we must get together some time” plans that never come to fruition. Lockdown a date and make it as specific as possible. This will give everyone time to book the day off work, find a babysitter, etc. By all means, feel free to change the day, but unless you lock down a date your plans will forever be doomed to happen “sometime soon”.
