So Near & Yet So Far: What to do in a long-distance friendship
Guest writer - Hannah x
I had an excellent surprise this week. I was scrolling through the socials and a photo of a very good friend I hadn’t seen in three years popped up. He was sitting surrounded by his family. This was a surprise because his family are UK based, and he’s living in Spain. I was a bit unsure whether to message him or not, but I’m so glad I did. We went for coffee, I met his new partner, he met my new son, and we talked for hours as if no time had passed at all! It was so lovely to see him again, but I couldn’t help wondering as we said goodbye when the next time I would see him again would be.
Long-distance friendships can be so tricky to navigate. We see glimpses of what our friends are up to, leading busy lives a million miles away. You might not talk every day, or even every month, but you know that when you do see them again it’ll be just the same as it was in the beginning.
That doesn’t mean you can’t do something to let them know you’re thinking of them from time to time! Sometimes a little nod to say ‘I know we haven’t spoken in a while, but I love you and miss you’ might be just the pick-me-up your friend needed that day.
As you can imagine, here at OohBox we advocate for the long-distance friendships. A lot of the time, friends moving away from each other happens because of a number of things: university, a new job, a new relationship, so it’s understandable to expect your pal to be too busy for regular catch-ups. That’s why we are so keen to offer free delivery to UK addresses: there shouldn’t be a price on surprising your loved ones!
With busy friends, an ideal way to treat them and let them know you’re thinking of them is by reminding them to slow down and take care of themselves. Along with loving keeping in touch with friends, we are very pro self-care, and a lot of our gift boxes cater for whichever way your friend likes to relax.
A spa day? Drop them a ‘Me Time’ box full of goodies for a perfect evening spent in the tub.
Movie night? We have two boxes! Whether your mate is a chick flick or a blockbuster person, either are catered for with our ‘Movie Night’ boxes.
And hey, we can’t forget about our bezzie’s other halves, can we? The ‘Romantic Night In’ or ‘The Special Occasion’ boxes are ideal for spoiling the pair of them. You can even spoil them if they’ve had a new arrival (or if they haven’t, I still want ‘the Mum to Be’ box even though I’m not ‘to be’ anymore!)
Keeping long-distance friendships alive is hard, but if it’s worth it, it’ll work out.
Just remember to put the effort in with keeping the relationship alive, check in every now and then, and, my absolute top tip: send funny pictures to each other! That’s pretty much how I communicate with all of my faraway friends!
