7 things that are so much harder when your friends live far away
Before the days of adulting, it took practically little to no effort to maintain friendships. It felt like you were just naturally always surrounded by friends…until you and your closest pals began to branch off into different directions. Life happens, and sometimes, you can find yourself with a bunch of friends who live super far away, and not yet many who live in your new bubble.
In some cases, having long-distance friends means going months or even years without seeing one another. In fact, it feels like a million miles are between you. How on Earth are you supposed to deal when your friends live this far away?
The faraway friend struggle is real, y’all.
But take it easy on yourself. You will definitely go through some emotional ups and downs adjusting to the fact that your long-distance friends won’t always be there when you need them.
1You have ongoing FOMO.
And the overwhelming concern that you’re missing out on literally everything that’s happening with your friends is legitimate. Although you’re pretty good at keeping track of their social media posts, you always have the sinking feeling that you’re not as in the loop as everyone else.
2Birthdays.
Yeah, we’re adults, and the world no longer comes to an end if we don’t have the end-all, be-all b-day celebration every time we get another year older. Still, that doesn’t take the sting out of the knowing that your friends won’t be around to celebrate with you. You appreciate the birthday gifts your BFFs send you, but they would be so much sweeter to receive in person. *cue silent weeping in a dark, lonely corner*
3Handling life crises.
When you lived nearby, you could always count on someone being there physically to support you through various meltdowns brought on by relationship problems, family issues, on-the-job drama, or that minor fender bender you had in traffic (yikes). But that was before this dreadful distance came in and changed things between you and your reliable rescuers.
On the bright side, you’ve gradually grown stronger at handling your own problems, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult to be away from your friends during tough times.
4Breakups.
They could easily be considered life crises (tbh, they definitely are), but breakups are typically such a big friggin’ deal that they deserve their own category. Seriously, who survives a split without their friends to hug them, allow them to cry it out and tell them all the things you need to hear after a breakup?
No matter how many times your friends say, “We’re here for you,” you struggle to accept it because they couldn’t feel further away at the moment.
5Boredom.
Unless you live a life of non-stop fabulosity, you’ve experienced boredom from time to time. Luckily for anyone who lives in the vicinity of a good pal, there’s usually the option for an impromptu dinner date or a walk at the park simply because boredom and misery both love company.
But because your friends can’t just drop everything and travel at your beck and call, you’ve gone from watching Netflix or busying yourself with a hobby to passing the time on Tinder just because you’re bored.
6Seeing your friends make other friends.
Ordinarily you wouldn’t have an issue with your friends expanding their social circle, but each time you see them post pics with a new acquaintance, you feel a little more degree of separation from them.
7 Staying in touch.
Thanks to technology, staying connected to your friends is a lot easier. With group chats, e-mailing, texting, social media, and a good-old fashioned phone call available at your fingertips, one would think that maintaining contact with your faraway friends wouldn’t take much effort. But the fact is, living away from your friends is strange in that you both run the risk of relegating your relationship to “out of sight, out of mind” status, not because you don’t still deeply care about one another, but because life sometimes gets in the way.
It’s rough, but try to stay focused on how your faraway friends enhance your life instead of the many miles that separate you. They’ve been with you through thick and thin, so there’s no reason why your bond can’t survive the distance.
