Maintaining friendships is not always an easy thing to do. There will be some points in your life where you will find yourself drifting from your old friends. Or you may find that they are the ones inching away from you. But that does not mean that it will have to stay that way forever. Eventually, you will stumble upon an opportunity to reconnect and reunite with your old pals. This can be quite awkward at the beginning, and some amount of work may be necessary to make the meeting happen. Keep in mind, however, that there are some ways you can make things much easier.
If you are looking for some pointers to help you out, the tips below may provide you with some insightful ideas.
The Most Important Rule: Make it Simple
Some people want to reconnect with their old friends, but they commit a common blunder, which is beating around the bush and not being direct enough. Your goal here is to make your old friend comfortable, and any lengthy pleasantry may get in the way. What you should do at this point is to tell them directly that you want to continue the friendship. A simple text or a private message on social media may do the trick here. You do not have to come up with long, winding explanations. Just let the conversation flow naturally.
Plan something together
When they respond to your message, and the conversation somehow goes well, take a step further. This means you may want to initiate a meet-up or an activity. Do not say this just for the sake of courtesy. Make sure that you will follow through. So instead of saying “Let’s meet up!”, be specific and tell them that you can meet and grab a beer at a bar and grill next week. Making a suggestion and offering an exact time and place shows that you are committed to rekindling the friendship.
Test the waters
You may never know how much has changed between you and your old friend during the period that you haven’t spoken to each other. So, try to sense if they are actually willing to make friends with you. You cannot force them to be friends with you again, so do what is possible. Gauge their lifestyle, their new interests, and their plans, as doing so will allow you to determine if both of you are still compatible with each other.
Try to address the misunderstanding.
You should understand that friendship couldn’t be resumed unless any misgiving, hard feeling, and conflict have been settled. So, if you are willing to make the friendship work again, acknowledge the fact that you will need to deal with the misunderstanding first. Keep in mind, however, that it will depend on the gravity and kind of misunderstanding that you previously had.
There is nothing wrong about losing touch with your friends. It is a part of life, and you do not always have to feel guilty about it. Good thing, you always have the opportunity to reconnect and rekindle your friendship. If you are the type of person who wants to make things work again, then take the first step. Be brave and do not be conscious of what will happen. You will never know what will happen if you never try.