Saying Goodbye is Always Hard.
People have many relationships throughout life, and among the most meaningful are friendships. A true friend is someone who accepts you as you are and helps you to be the best version of yourself. While the foundation of love and trust built from years of support and time spent together cannot be easily broken by change and life's milestones, moving away can be emotionally challenging. The following explains how to deal with this experience and ways to keep the friendship going.
Give Them Books That Express How You Feel
If you have trouble expressing your feelings to your friend, you can give them a book that encapsulates what you're trying to say. If you don't have enough money, you can always go for an Amazon gift card, or use an Abebooks coupon code to make it more affordable:
https://couponcoder.com/abebooks-coupon-codes/
Be Mature
When a friend moves away, it is a change in the status quo, which can leave you feeling lost and uncertain. You suddenly must shift your life routine to fill the space left behind by the absent friend. The most important step is to accept your friend's decision to relocate. Every person is on their journey, and sometimes the trip does not include you. Also, the friend may have felt held back in life and wanted to move on to a new job or new relationship possibilities. You should not take this personally, even though it may be difficult to accept.
Throw a Party
A positive approach to a friend's upcoming move is to throw a bon voyage party. Invite all of your mutual connections for food, music and the sharing of memories. Encourage everyone to bring a gift for your friend along with a personal note or card. The idea is to be positive and upbeat although the event marks the end of an era. The party can be in your backyard, on a beach or at a location that holds special meaning for both you and your friend. That will give the event a personal touch, allowing your friend to leave on good terms.
Spend Quality Time Together
If your friend is moving to the opposite coast or another country, you may not be able to get together on a regular basis, if at all. Scheduling quality time together before your friend leaves helps to cement the connection and let the person know that you still consider them a priority even if they are far away. Go to all of your favorite places and discuss old times. Laugh and have fun. Tell them how much you will miss them. Being the one who leaves is as difficult as being the one who stays. Keep that in mind for perspective.
Stay in Touch
The digital era makes it very easy to stay in touch with old friends no matter where they are in the world. Facebook is the most popular choice because it is very accessible and offers messaging, photos and sharing. There are also many texting apps that allow for free communication between countries. Even better, you can leave offline messages for your friend when there is a large time difference, and it is difficult to synchronize a chat. When you can both be online at once, Skype offers free video calling that is almost like talking in person. Of course, there is also the phone and email to say a quick hello. Friendships do not have to die from a distance. Make an effort.
Be Supportive
After your friend settles in their new life circumstances, they may find themselves overwhelmed by change. The pressures of a new job, a budding romance or simply being away from old friends and family can be very stressful. Your friend may be doubting whether they did the right thing and may even feel homesick and regretful. That is when you need to be supportive and let them know you are there for them regardless of what happens next. Remind them of the reasons they chose to move away, and even though you miss their daily presence, you are thinking of them and know they will do fine in their new life.
Having an old friend move away is not easy, and it will change your life. It is normal to feel uncertain at first. By accepting the decision, being positive, staying supportive and keeping in touch, you and your friend will adjust to this life shift and may grow even closer as a result.
