Often, even if we have the best of intentions, life tends to get in the way of staying in touch with the people that we care about. It’s easy to put off a phone call for one week and watch it turn into four, until finally a year’s gone by without a single word exchanged. Before you know it, you’ve inadvertently lost a friend that you really cared about and enjoyed having in your life. To check out tips on avoiding this common problem, read more.
- There’s no doubt about it, keeping in touch is hard work, but it should be worth it. If making the effort doesn’t seem worth it, then perhaps the person in mind isn’t really someone you want to remain friends with, in which case don’t bother. It sounds harsh, but you'll save yourself a big serving of guilt later on.
- Once you’ve made the decision to make the effort, then it’s time to start following through. Schedule your calendar once a month to remind yourself to send an email or make a phone call. Make sure to note all the important dates that pertain to that person, too — their birthday, wedding, graduation, etc.
- When your reminder goes off, it’s possible you won't have enough time to devote to a full catch-up call. If that’s the case, make the call a quick one and talk to your friend about setting up a phone date sometime soon. Everyone has time for a two-minute phone call to let the person know that they’re too busy to talk right then, and although a phone date might sound silly, it's a great way to make time without rescheduling your life.
- If you haven’t called in a few months or forgot to call her back the last time she called, don’t let yourself continue to avoid calling out of guilt. It'll only make things worse, and of course, the more time that passes the more difficult it will be to pick up that phone.
It truly is invaluable to have people in your life that you’ve shared memories with and who've seen you grow into yourself, so make it work even it means planning ahead!









Milly
DSquared
Elemis
Good tips! It's definitely necessary to plan some time for re-connecting with your closest friends, especially when everyone is so busy these days!! My friends and I have been close for more than 25 years...since kindergarten. And we've somehow managed to maintain our bond and make time for each other as often as we can, despite our crazy schedules.
1I love the idea of setting up a reminder, and I am definitely guilty of continuing to avoid a call out of guilt for waiting so long! That doesn't work.
I have so many friends on the East Coast that phone dates are definitely required. Sometimes,
we'll just set aside a few hours and have some wine "together" and chat.
2Great tips!!
3I have such a hard time keeping in touch with old friends, so these are good tips for me!
4I know that it is lame...but Facebook makes keeping in touch and remembering birthdays a lot easier!
5I am really bad about keeping in touch with old friends. Mostly because I hate talking on the phone and never make time to chit chat... I'd rather text or email but you are right Dear, I should set some time aside and catch up with my buddies!!
6None of my old friends are really worth it.
7It's weird how almost everyone's got computers/mobile phones yet still nobody has the time to keep in touch. I have notices this with my own friends too, even tough some of us still live in the same city we rarely have the time to meet. Great tips! Most people are happy to hear from someone they haven't been in touch with for a while so pick up the phone and make a call - short or long, doesn't matter. Just call!
8i second the facebook comment! without facebook i would lose touch with tons and tons of elementary school, highschool, university, and grad school friends...and i know it's not the same to just facestalk someone and pretend you're in touch with their lives, but it gives you a sense that you're still present in their lives, and vice versa, and offers a perfect opportunity to drop a note whenever you feel like it....because frankly, i dont really like talking on the phone, and i have few close friends i do chat with on the phone, so there's no chance i would keep phone dates with everyone i know...and i feel like there really are about a hundred people i care to keep in touch with in my life...just not always to the same degree as my besties
9but of the 500+ people on my facebook list, i don't actually care about all of them
10This always happened between my best friend and I. We were best friends from ages 19-21 and then I started dating a guy and hung out with a new group of friends. Over the years one of us would contact the other, we'd hang out and say 'let's not wait this long again to hang out.' Then a year would go by before we'd see each other again.
Luckily, after I broke up with my longterm boyfriend, out of the blue she emailed me and we're best friends again, hanging out all the time, and I'm dating her husband's best friend. Funny how things can work out with just a simple email to an old friend.
11Great tips
I do have to thank FB and the internet for helping me keep in touch with
lots of ppl i would otherwise lose contact with! I have lived here for more than 10 yrs and still keep in touch with friends back home (different country)!
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