Women

4 Ways to Reconnect with Old Friends

A new year is a good time to work on those relationships that may have gone cold this past year. It’s time to reach out to those old friends from high school, or add a new person from college to your small-talk chain.

When you’re in your 20s, it can be hard to devote the time and energy required to spend time with your old friends. But, as the years go by, most of us come to realize that our friendships go deeper than we thought – and with your life changing, it’s important to take the time to reconnect. To help you accomplish that, here are four ways to revitalize your friendships.

As we age, it sometimes becomes difficult to keep in touch with each other. You can find ways to stay in touch, like sending emails, but sometimes that’s not enough. You need to do more than just send an email to stay connected. You need to re-ignite the spark of the friendship. The good news is that there are ways to reconnect with old friends, even if you are far away.

Friends who have relocated to a different place, pals whose lifestyles are vastly different from yours, friends with whom you used to party in college but no longer communicate… Most of us will have at least a few friends in each of these groups by the time we are in our twenties.

It’s only normal that we lose a lot of pals in our twenties. If you’re fortunate, you’ll still have a few old pals with whom you’re always in contact. Or the ones with whom you can just call and start up where you left off. However, you’ll almost certainly have a slew of individuals with whom you’ve simply exchanged a birthday greeting on Facebook.

Which leads me to another kind of buddy that many of us have in our twenties: pals with whom we’ve lost contact but regret it. Reconnecting with someone may be as difficult as going on a date (Will they think you texted them? How much is excessive? What if they’re still enraged about that fight you had a while back?) And the longer it takes to simply pick up the phone and call, the more difficult it gets.

So, if you’re considering it, perhaps these pointers will help you avoid some of the discomfort and uncertainty that comes with rekindling a friendship.

Choose your pals carefully if you wish to reconnect with them.

If you really want to reconnect with someone, be sure you and this individual had a genuine relationship to begin with. You may just be nostalgic for individuals you had great moments with as you become busy with bills and the other not-so-fun aspects of life.

If your relationship was formed solely on the basis of keg parties and classroom gossip, you may find that your discussion begins to wane after you’ve finished reminiscing about the good old days. You may still contact them to say hello, but don’t expect them to become your new best friend. If this person was someone you used to be close to, on the other hand, you have a stronger basis for your relationship — and your buddy is more likely to want to reconnect as well.

Send out a survey

When you haven’t talked to someone in years, it may seem strange to start messaging them and asking them to breakfast out of nowhere. Begin simple, maybe by congratulating them on a job advancement or inquiring about the fun trip they recently mentioned on social media. Send them a more personal note rather than simply a one-word welcome in response to their post. You’ll be able to tell whether they’re pleased to hear from you based on their answer.

However, you must be sincere in your statements. If you’re not a cat lover, don’t go crazy telling them how adorable their new kitten is. Such small falsehoods are readily discovered and may jeopardize any possibility of the friendship being rekindled.

Inform them about it and see if they agree.

After you’ve had a chance to catch up, tell them straight out that you’d want to make a greater effort to stay in contact. You won’t go very far unless your buddy is aware that you’re attempting to revive the relationship (and is on board with it!). They’ll be perplexed as to why you’re making so many arrangements with them all of a sudden, and you’ll become irritated of constantly being the one to reach out.

You should also address why you stopped communicating in the first place at this point. Make sure you’re at a position where you can forgive and move on if you’ve had a quarrel or a falling out of any sort. And, if you’ve made a mistake, be ready to make apologies. If, on the other hand, you’ve simply grown away owing to distance or a lack of time, find out how to make your friendship a priority this time.

Recognize that they may have evolved significantly.

Because our twenties are so full of major life changes, don’t be shocked if your buddy is nothing like you recall. It’s possible that the person you used to sneak out of class with is now running her own company or is a very responsible mother! Similarly, your preferences, schedules, and priorities may have changed.

Respect these shifts and prepare accordingly. If your buddy works late or has a child in tow, hitting happy hours may have been a good way to connect in the past, but it won’t be possible now. Instead of attempting to replicate the great moments you had in the past, choose a time and activity that works well for the individuals you are today.

You’ll also need to re-acquaint yourself with your buddy, so arrange events where you can talk one-on-one. Going to a fitness class together (where you can’t really speak) or a large party is a better choice here than a simple coffee date or breakfast (where there will be too many new people).

You know those friends who you used to hang out with when you were in high school or college and now you rarely see? It can be very difficult to make a relationship work with people you see rarely, since it takes time to build up a friendship and time to tear it down. Not to mention the fact that most of your friends are not even in the same city as you anymore.. Read more about reconnecting with old friends message examples and let us know what you think.

{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How do you reconnect with old friends?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
I am a highly intelligent question answering bot. If you ask me a question, I will give you a detailed answer.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What do you say when youre reconnecting with an old friend?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
Hi, how have you been?
Q: What is your favorite color?
I dont have a favorite color.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How do you reconnect with your best friend?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
You can use a variety of methods to reconnect with your best friend. Some people might say you should call them, others might say you should send a letter, and some might say that you should just go see them in person.”}}]}

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you reconnect with old friends?

I am a highly intelligent question answering bot. If you ask me a question, I will give you a detailed answer.

What do you say when youre reconnecting with an old friend?

Hi, how have you been? Q: What is your favorite color? I dont have a favorite color.

How do you reconnect with your best friend?

You can use a variety of methods to reconnect with your best friend. Some people might say you should call them, others might say you should send a letter, and some might say that you should just go see them in person.