Hey everyone,
Staying connected with your close ones is really important for your mental health. It might feel really difficult to stay connected with your loved ones when away at university, so here are some tips to help you maintain those important connections in your life.
1) Skype-study dates. My sister lives across the country and we’re both usually crazy busy with school. The only way we get to really talk is on study breaks so we often study while on Skype with each other. It’s really great because we still feel as if we are actually together but we’re getting done what we need to get done as well. And of course we spend our study breaks catching up with each other.
2) Setting dates to talk. My best friend lives in Vancouver and we usually set time to talk to each other and put it into our calendars. It can be really important to do that if you want to stay in-touch with each other, because last-minute calls to talk can often be rushed or unanswered.
3) Send updates and hellos. Sending a quick text or message to see how a friend is doing can go a long way. This can be really good in hectic times, for example during exam period. This allows you to still maintain a connection with your loved ones even in those busy times.
4) Making monthly dinner dates. If you’re from Victoria, it may be hard to keep in touch with your old friends that live in the city. One way to keep in touch is to make a deal with yourself to go on a dinner date with a different friend you haven’t seen in a while, every month. Just last week I went out for dinner with one of my best friends from high school. I hadn’t seen her in a few months so it was such a good feeling to catch up with someone I was really close to in a different period of my life.
These efforts may seem small but they go a long way in keeping and establishing relationships. And an important thing to note is these tips should be used for putting in effort for healthy and fulfilling relationships.
It is really important for our mental health and ultimately our well-being to make an effort to keep rewarding connections in our life. Try to make that one of your priorities in University!
The views expressed in this blog are my own, and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the University of Victoria. I monitor posts and comments to ensure all content complies with the University of Victoria Guidelines on Blogging.