7 Ways to Stay in Touch with Your Friends After College
It's inevitable - you graduate, find a job, settle into your first apartment in the city, and before you know it your social circle seems more sparse than rainfall in the Sahara Desert. Staying in touch with your friends and keeping a strong bond after college or university can become tricky. Conflicting schedules, different financial situations, and 'adult life' in general tend to get in the way of seeing your besties on a regular basis.
Fear not, there are ways to keep your sisterhood alive and thriving with a little bit of planning and commitment. We've put together a list of 7 easy ways to stay in touch with your friends after graduating.
Keep scrolling to find how to stay connected with all your BFFs.
Stay in touch by hosting a monthly potluck
Make it a tradition for the first Friday of every month to host a monthly potluck with all your girls. Rotate around the group so that everyone gets a turn to host the gathering at their place. A potluck is a great way to see each other, it's intimate and casual and also puts less of a financial strain on the group. It provides the perfect atmosphere to chat and catch up while eating delicious food and enjoying a glass of bubbly with your best girlfriends. Don't forget to check out these styling tips for some super cute outfits for the night!
Plan group activities for your whole squad
It's hard to be bored these days with websites such as Groupon that are constantly curating awesome group deals for people in your area. Take advantage of an awesome deal and plan a group activity for your girl gang without breaking the bank. Try an escape room, a painting class at your local shop, or even learning how to make your own sushi. It's a fun way to spend time together while reigniting the 'team spirit' in your friendship.
Invite their SO's for a super fun group dinner date at your favorite restaurant
Whether it's the pizza shop down the street from you, or that new fancy restaurant that opened up downtown, plan a group date for your besties and their other halves. Getting to know their significant others will mean a lot to them since the both of you are an important part of your friend's life. The Spice Girls said it best - "if you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends!"
Book a getaway or a road trip for the group
Even if it's just for a day or a weekend, plan a mini getaway from your regular routines and visit a neighboring town that you've never visited before. Science shows that doing something new or out of the ordinary rewires your brain and helps you connect with people. New experiences have all sorts of amazing benefits, so make sure to plan one for you and your girl squad. To make your packing list a bit easier, check out this super easy travel capsule to make packing a breeze.
Group chat via Google Hangouts or Zoom
Technology is advancing at a quicker rate every single day. Thanks to its innovation and dissemination across the masses, we now have the ability to connect with people around the world in the push of a button. Take advantage of the possibilities that lie at your fingertips (literally) and plan a video chat for you and your besties. It's an easy way to reconnect and touch base when everyone's schedules are tied up with other commitments.
Write each other letters
Whatever happened to good old snail mail? Pick up your favorite gel pens from middle school and start writing hand-written letters to your gal pals. For larger groups of friends, start an analog 'chain email' and get each of your friends to add a little more to the letter. When the letter finally gets back to you it'll be an interesting mashup of stories for you to dive into. Plus, it's always nice to actually receive a letter in the mail for a change rather than credit card offerings or flyers.
Visit each other
The easiest way to stay in touch is to make time to go out and visit each other. At the end of the day life is always busy, and it will only get busier as time goes on. Your responsibilities are important, but a wonderful friendship is irreplaceable and should always be nourished. Find the time to go and visit your friends and hang out with them for the day. Grab ice cream, check out the local zoo, or hit up the carnival that's in town.
Embracing the wonderful people in your life is an investment you won't regret. Good friends nourish your soul, take care of them and in turn you'll be taken care of as well!
This blog post was originally written by Gloria Chik.