Ways to Connect with Your Friends

Sometimes it can be hard to connect with your friends. We are all busy with jobs, school, family priorities and the chores that overwhelm us in daily life. Sometimes friends get pushed to the side, and before you know it a month has gone by without you seeing or talking to someone.

But keeping in touch and connecting with people doesn't have to be hard. Here are some easy tips for ways to connect with your friends. Adding some of these to your daily or weekly routine will ensure that you see or connect with your friends regularly. One trick is to look at your weekly schedule for "holes" and to fill them will time for your friends. Another is to look at activities that you regularly do and to see if you could do them with a friend. Like your bi-weekly manicure - couldn't you do that with a friend? You might have to get it at a different salon because she likes her place better, but at least you'd be together, and that's what is most important.

Friends are important. Don't let your friendships slip away, or die from neglect. Tend to your friendship garden everyday and watch it flower and bloom. You'll be glad you did!

Exercise with friends. Meet your friends for a walk, for a yoga class. You'll get in shape and have some laughs. It will be great for your figure and for your social life! Hint: this is also a great way to try a new sport or an activity, doing something with a friend will give you confidence.

Do crafts together. Why not meet to do knitting projects or to make jewelry? If the holidays are coming up, you could make a bunch of your holiday gifts together? If you had a once a month group to do a new craft, this could also be a lot of fun.

Take a class. If there is something you are interested in learning about, perhaps one of your friends is interested in learning about it too. This could be relevant for a college course, or a continuing education class. Why not check out some course catalogs and see if some courses look like fun? You can also meet before class and have dinner or coffee after class.

Volunteer. Why not do something good for someone else while spending time with a friend? You could help out with a fund-raising project, or even train for a 5k walk a thon. Whatever the project or the cause, you and your friend will have a good time, while helping those that really need your support.

Plan a movie night. Why not meet in the evening or weekends once a month to go to the movies? This can be a great indulgence. Take turns treating for the popcorn!

Road trip! A long road trip might be out of the question, but why not take a day trip somewhere fun that you've always wanted to go? You could go to the outlet discount malls or to a museum in a neighboring town. Even an hour away counts as a road trip!

Remember to celebrate! Birthdays, anniversaries, promotions - those are all days to celebrate. But what about the day someone gets a new puppy, or finally gets rid of a no-good boyfriend, or finds a new pair of gorgeous shoes? Those are great days to celebrate also. Even if you just connect with a call or a card - be sure to connect.

Meet for a meal. Get together for brunch, lunch, dinner or coffee. Some people think immediately of getting together for lunch, but why not do brunch instead at a nice hotel? Or have dinner after work if your schedule is really hectic?

Gather them up. What's better than one friend? Two or three friends! Try to get several friends together at once for a lunch or another activity that sounds like fun. You also never know, your friends could wind up becoming good friends with each other!

Stay connected. Keep your friends mailing addresses and e-mail addresses handy, so you can send short notes to them whenever the mood strikes you. Send them jokes, or articles that you think will interest them.