Having a best friend is one of the most valuable things in life. They provide support and comfort without asking for anything in return.
Creating a lasting friendship isn’t easy, though. It takes effort to make sure you’re spending time with your friend and checking in on them regularly.
1. Spend Time Together
It’s no secret that time is a huge factor in building and maintaining deep friendships. A recent study found that it takes about 120 hours of shared time to reach what most people would consider a close friendship.
It can be difficult to find time for friends amid the demands of work and other obligations, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on your relationships entirely. You just need to make a few changes in order to ensure your friendships are strong and last a lifetime!
Spending time together is the number one way to ensure that you make your friendship a priority. Whether it’s taking an extra hour out of your busy day to spend time with your friend, or scheduling regular meetings to keep the relationship alive, making a plan is key to keeping the connection strong and healthy.
Another important step in maintaining a friendship is to understand where your friend is in life and what stage of life they’re currently in. For example, if they’re newly married or have children, it may be harder for them to find the time to hang out with you and you might need to plan activities around their new role in life instead of trying to force your friendship onto them.
A good way to get closer to your friends is by sharing stories about your experiences. Whether it’s about an interesting new place you’ve visited or a memorable event that happened during the past few years, sharing stories helps build the bond and create memories.
It’s also a great idea to have some fun together. For example, play games with your friend or have a movie night where you both can relax and enjoy each other’s company.
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2. Share Your Stories
Sharing your stories is a great way to keep your friendship close. Whether it’s about your recent vacation or how you got your first tattoo, revealing what makes you tick is a great way to get to know each other better and build a strong bond.
However, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t reveal personal information to friends without their consent. Some people value their privacy more than others, so it’s a good idea to ask for permission before sharing any content on social media.
Aside from being a way to share your story with a select group of people, Instagram Stories also allow you to track the impact of your post. For instance, if you’re a brand or e-commerce retailer, you can see the number of interactions that your Story has received. The tally will show the total reach, impressions, and a number of different metrics, including replies, follows, shares, website visits, stickers taps, calls, texts, email messages, and more.
You can access this data by going to the Story tab on your profile. Here, you can see the last 7 days of your Stories and view a range of metric details for each one.
For example, if you’re an e-commerce retailer, you can track the number of views your product pages have gained via the product tags in your Story. This can help you determine if your Stories are generating any sales or traffic for your business.
You can also use the Close Friends feature to limit the amount of people who are able to see your Instagram Story. Using this feature is especially useful if you have sensitive or private content that you don’t want everyone to be able to see.
3. Make Memories
When it comes to making a lifetime of friendship last, nothing is more important than having memories. The defining moments of our lives help us define ourselves, bond us together, and form a strong foundation for lasting relationships.
Having shared memories, whether they be from childhood or college, can bring you closer and help you create a strong bond with your friends. These memories can range from something as simple as a coffee shop that you frequented to a vacation you took together.
Remembering these memories also helps you reconnect with each other when you are apart, especially if you have lived in different places or don’t see each other as often as you’d like. Talking about the times you’ve spent together and laughing about old jokes can help you rekindle your friendship and keep you connected.
If you want to make a lasting memory with your friends, then you need to spend time reminiscing about the past and talking about the good and bad times. This can also help you feel closer together when you are apart and remember why you became friends in the first place.
You can even turn everyday objects into mementos. For example, you can turn your chair into a memento for one of the milestones in your life. Or you can rename your favorite restaurant or coffee shop after a special experience or event that happened there.
This will make it easy for you to recall the event, even years later. And it will be easier for your future generations to share these events with you, as well.
It can be difficult to find the time and energy to spend with your loved ones. When the day-to-day hustle and bustle of work, school, and home leaves you feeling short on time and exhausted from juggling all your commitments, you need to put some effort into building strong family bonds. Creating memories is an easy way to do this and is sure to keep you connected to your friends for the rest of your lives.
4. Give Each Other a Gift
Giving each other a gift can be a great way to show your friends and family that you appreciate them. A good way to do this is by putting a little time and thought into choosing the perfect gift for them.
One of the most important relationships in our lives are our friendships. They’re the ones that allow us to feel a sense of security, comfort and belonging. They’re also the ones that keep us going when life gets tough.
Whether you’re celebrating your birthday or just want to thank someone for being a great friend, a gift is always the right way to go. It’s the perfect chance to let the person know that they mean a lot to you, and that you will be thinking of them every single day.
A gift can be anything from a simple mug to a personalized pillow. No matter what it is, you can rest assured that the recipient will be extremely happy and thankful for your thoughtfulness.
If you’re looking for something extra special, consider getting your best friend a personalised keychain that is engraved with the words, “It takes a long time to grow a true best friend.” This gift will remind them of the love you share for them and how much they mean to you.
Another great idea is to get them a ring trinket dish that they can use to display all of their beautiful rings, earrings and necklaces. This will make them smile each and every time they see it.
When it comes to gift-giving, American psychologist Barry Schwartz explains that there is an important balance called “distributive justice.” This refers to the concept of reciprocity and how it affects relationships. For example, if the gift you give is very expensive, your friend will feel like they are incurring debt in order to receive it. Likewise, if you give them a cheap gift, it will likely send the message that you don’t care enough about them to spend more money.
5. Keep in Touch
Keeping in touch with friends is essential for maintaining strong relationships. It can be especially challenging when a friendship is long-distance or between people on opposite schedules, but it can help your relationship grow stronger and more meaningful.
Sending a thoughtful text, voice message or letter can go a long way to remind your friend you’re thinking of them, even when you can’t see them in person. Whether it’s a simple reminder that you drove by their favorite restaurant or a video of your last bowling outing, you can make your friend feel loved from miles away.
Showing up for big milestones like weddings, graduations and funerals can make a huge impression on your friend, especially when you aren’t able to see them regularly. Traveling together for a big event can also let your friend know you still care about them, regardless of how far apart you are.
Sharing new experiences with your friend is a great way to keep your friendship fresh, and create new memories you’ll cherish forever. Creating new experiences with your friend is also important because it can help you remember that you are both different people, and it will help you appreciate each other more.
If you are unable to meet up in person, setting up virtual meet-ups is another good option for making sure you stay in touch with your friend, as well as preventing them from feeling like you’re not a real friend. You can do this through an app such as Marco Polo, which is a social media-like app that lets you connect via chat.
One of the biggest challenges people face when it comes to keeping in touch with friends is anxiety. Having social anxiety can make it difficult for you to initiate or plan events and activities with friends, but it’s important to stay in touch with your friends as often as possible.