Moving out from your family’s house and living miles away from each other can be challenging especially for those who are close with their family. The distance is good for your mental and emotional health and will allow you to be independent but it can also be lonely at times not having your family whom you were used to living with.
Adjusting to your new life does not mean you need to cut-off your family. Instead, the same distance can even make you closer.
Here are 6 tips you can follow to maintain a close relationship with your family despite being long distance:
1. Create A Family Group Chat
Creating a group chat with all your family members is the best and consistent way to keep everyone in the family connected and updated. Everyone can use this to check in to see how everyone is doing and if there are any updates from them.
You can also include extended family members who may not live with you but are equally important and close to you.
2. Video Calls
Video calls with family do not have to be daily but it would also help to see their faces and hear their voices, especially if you are experiencing homesickness. If you live with different time zones, scheduling the calls is the best way to ensure that everyone’s schedule is being accommodated.
It’s also fun to use the filters from video messaging apps. This is funny when kids are also included in the calls because they make the best reaction to filters.
3. Send Photos To The Family Group Chat
Sending photos is one great way to keep everyone in the group chat updated about you. Encourage your family members to send photo updates about themselves as well so you are updated about them.
You can send everyday moments like the walk in the park you did in the morning or the dinner you made or even a selfie. Tell them a brief description of the photo to provide context. Doing this allows them to comment and get updated about you!
4. Share Stories On How Your Day Went
Sometimes, your parents want to know how your day went. Even if they don’t ask, they’d appreciate you sharing a glimpse of your life.
Tell them that the soup you bought for lunch tasted the same as your mom’s and that you find yourself ordering it often. Inform your dad about this car you saw on the way to work that looked like the one he used to watch on the television.
These little moments would make them feel loved and appreciated because it shows you remembered them and you are thinking of them despite being miles away.
5. Plan Future Visits To Look Forward To
It would be exciting to discuss and plan visits to reunite in person since this would give everyone something to look forward to. Planning the visits not only helps everyone prepare a budget but also coordinate schedules. Some family members might be working or some studying so a planned visit would ensure everyone is accommodated.
This would also make the group chat alive because everyone can send their bucket list of activities, links to videos about the trip, and more to anticipate the visit.
6. Stay Updated On Family News
Ask about milestones, achievements, and challenges faced by each family member using your family group chat. You can also ask about your neighbors if you want to. Sharing dramas about the neighborhood will be funny too.
You might not even know that one of your cousins has given birth to a healthy baby boy if you don’t ask or if nobody shared or the youngest cousin has graduated elementary school.
The distance between you and your family won’t be a hindrance to form deeper connections with them. You might move to a new place for better opportunities or for wanting your own space but this does not mean you have to cut your close ties with your family.
