Tips For Dealing With A Friendship That Is Drifting Apart

Just as hard as it is to make new friends as an adult, it's hard to keep the old ones. We suddenly must navigate differing life stages, locations, and priorities. These adjustments might lead you and your friends to drift apart, but if you want them in your life and they are meant to be there — this doesn't have to be the case.

An essential factor of friendship is your shared interests. Even if your priorities and passions have changed, you can work to find what connected you and your friend in the first place, or what new interests you share. Identify where the two of you bond in the present. Maybe it's a love for "Emily in Paris" or discovering vegan restaurants. Whatever it is, it can bud a conversation and remind you to shoot a text, give a call, or plan a coffee date.

Marisa G. Franco, a psychologist and friendship expert, explains to NPR that holding yourself accountable and reaching out to your friend is crucial if you want to build or maintain intimacy with each other. It doesn't have to be super frequent, but as long as you are consistent, this is a small way you can be a better friend. Franco tells NPR that it creates a reciprocal bond, "[by] creating the space to make our friends feel valued . . . we help create the space for them to want to invest more with us," says Franco."