Make time for friends with these simple communication methods.
Humans are social creatures, and whether your friends are near or far, you can add so much joy to one another’s lives. Friendship even comes with health benefits like a strengthened immune system!
Learning how to strengthen friendships is the key to maintaining these connections.
Here are our top tips on how to strengthen friendships, whether you’re together or apart:
- Schedule regular phone or video calls
- Find fun activities to do together
- Be available for help and advice
- Send each other traditional mail
- Commit to a healthy routine together
- Give thoughtful gifts
- Take a trip down memory lane
Read on to learn more about how to strengthen friendships with each tip!
Schedule regular phone or video calls
Connecting virtually is a great way to stay in touch when we can’t meet face-to-face, especially in our current era of social distancing. For those with hearing loss, a CapTel captioned telephone can help you navigate conversations with ease! Use your CapTel phone to call your friend directly, or use it to dial into a Zoom call so you can see the captions on your phone screen and the video on your computer. Schedule group calls or “virtual happy hours” to catch up with multiple friends at once!
Find fun activities to do together
Once safety permits, these could be traditional in-person activities like going bowling, trying new restaurants, or taking a walk on a nature trail. With social distancing guidelines in place, activities require a little more creativity. Schedule a lunch where you each order takeout from an interesting new restaurant and compare notes (perhaps during a distanced picnic!). Arrange a virtual game night to play rounds of Scrabble and Uno. Do an art challenge where you each draw something based on a prompt. The options are endless!
Be available for help and advice
Talking things through can be just what someone needs to navigate a challenging situation or period of life. Let your friends know you’re always there for them. Even if you don’t always have the perfect thing to say, sometimes just listening can be enough.
Send each other traditional mail
Although many people choose texting and e-cards over letters and postcards these days, there’s something to be said for a physical piece of correspondence you can save and remember. Especially if you have a friend who lives far away, you can brighten their day with a surprise letter or a beautiful postcard you’ve collected from your travels, along with a heartfelt note.
Commit to a healthy routine together
We’ve already mentioned how friends make you healthier just by existing in your life—but why not ramp it up a little? Seek out an accountability partner and help one another meet your health goals. It could be following along to the same workout video a few times a week, planning healthy meals full of vegetables, or even just reminding each other to drink enough water!
Give thoughtful gifts
You don’t have to shell out on large, expensive presents, but when you see something small that makes you think of your friend, pick it up for them! Gifts are a “love language” for a reason—not because of materialism, but because a gift shows you care enough to think about your friend and remember what they like. Order them their favorite flowers on a tough day, or get a ridiculous knick-knack that makes them laugh.
Take a trip down memory lane
If you and your friend have been lifelong pals, dig up old photos and reminisce together. Nothing can make us laugh and transport us back in time like a friend saying, “Hey, remember when…?”
We hope these tips help you and your friends keep your connection strong for years (and decades) to come! Shop our selection of CapTel captioned telephones to make staying in touch over the phone easier than ever.
