Next to family, your best friend is probably the most crucial person in your life. They’re your secret keeper, your confidant, your backbone, your support system, your harshest critic and your biggest fan. You have been together through thick and thin, even partnering in crime when it came down to it! No one really tells you how you’re supposed to cope with your best friend moving away. Here are some tips that’ll hopefully help you deal with this big transition:
1- Prepare Yourself
This is not to say that you should prepare yourself for the worst, but understand that the person you spent most of your leisure time with is not going to be around as often. This means you need to first figure out how you will remain in contact with your friend, and secondly what you will do while they’re not around.
2- Develop a Healthy Distance
This might seem counter productive but if you know that your best friend isn’t going to be around next month, what you should do this month is spend time with them but not too much so you don’t grow too attached when they leave. Try to spend more time with other people, or take up a hobby. When the time comes, you’ll find yourself missing them but you’ll still be able to function as a person!
3- Contact Them as Often as You Can
The digital age has allowed for things like Skype calls, constant texting and other modes of communication that weren’t available before. Make use of them because when your friend moves away they will be the only means of contact you will have with them.
4- Keep Track of Time…Always!
This is particularly important if your friend is moving to a country with a vastly different timezone. When you’re aware of their timezone, you’ll be able to figure the most appropriate times to contact them. This way, conflict wouldn’t develop about how you called and they didn’t answer!
5- Plan Visits to Each Other
It may well be that your friend is not returning, so the best thing you can both do is plan a visit to each other! That way you get to have a vacation with your favorite person and see where they now live!
6- Forgive, Forgive, Forgive
Remember, since your friend has moved away, you are not going through all the experiences they have to deal with. They might have had a tough week you don’t know about, or might be dealing with academic commitments. Accept that this is the case and be willing to forgive them if they couldn’t contact you on a particular day.
These pointers can apply to any friendship, and if you put them to work, you’ll be able to cope when the time comes!
