While maintaining long-distance friendships seems like a hassle, it is all too easy to let a friendship fizzle out when not constantly seeing them.
Sharing random TikToks often makes me feel closest to friends who are miles away.
A way that my friends and I have tried to maintain our long-distance friendship is through implementing a ‘Waffle Wednesday’. Inspired by a video we saw on TikTok, we have a dedicated group chat where, every Wednesday, we must each send a five-minute voice note debriefing our past week. The five-minute mark is imperative, as although we may sometimes feel our weeks have been uneventful, giving the voice notes a minimum time makes us chat and ‘waffle’ just like we would together in person. I like to think of them as my own personal podcasts to hear while I walk to campus! This could obviously also work as a weekly facetime or call, but having a routine day carved out helps to avoid getting too busy to catch up, while avoiding the stress of conflicting time zones with some friends studying abroad or travelling.
Setting aside a regular day each week helps ensure we stay in touch, even when life gets busy.
I also find that always having the next time you see each other confirmed helps maintain a friendship. Sometimes it can feel pointless to try to maintain something, not knowing the next time you’ll see each other, so a plan to look forward to is crucial in maintaining friendships. Despite this, sometimes it’s just the constant exchange of random TikToks that makes me feel most connected with far-flung friends!
