How to cope with a friend moving to another city

A best friend’s relocation to another city or state is a decisive moment in your lives, since some of the major changes are about to happen. The news about an upcoming move has left you confused and sad and now you need to find a way to deal with those feelings. The sooner you accept the fact that your best friend will be moving to another city, the better you will be prepared to say goodbye.

However, you are not the only one to feel that way, your friend probably feels emotionally devastated and frightened of this huge change in his/her life. Both of you will go through certain emotional stages before the moving day and hopefully these tips will help you deal with them.

– Spend as much quality time as you can before the moving day.

– Your friend will be in another city, not gone forever. Although you won’t be able to do some usual activities spontaneously like taking a walk after school or work, drinking coffee in the morning, jogging, attending an event, going to the cinema… you can stay in touch via phone, email, social media,…

– Provide support and understanding. Although you are stressed out, your friend’s situation is probably more complicated due to numerous tasks she/he has to deal with – leaving the family home, facing new environment, packing for the upcoming move, finding an apartment, arranging the new home,…

– Try not to express sadness or despair in your friend’s presence. Instead show how happy you are because of the huge life-changing event and new opportunity in his/her life and career.

– Encourage your friend to embrace the change and get excited about it. Reassure him/her that everything will be fine eventually and that the distance won’t affect your special relationship.

– Help your friend with packing and moving organization. That way you can spend even more time together doing something that means a lot to your friend. If your friend has to move on short notice and he/she is in a rush to pack and move, you should certainly help him/her move quickly and safely and get additional help if necessary. In case you have more moving-related experience your assistance will be very much appreciated. Long distance moves are better handled by professionals, so start researching local moving companies.

– If your friend is planning a DIY move, he/she will need your organizational and heavy-lifting skills. If it is not too emotionally challenging for both of you, make sure you are available on the moving day.

– Organize a goodbye party. Gather all mutual friends and organize a pleasant get-together. You can even make or buy a creative goodbye gift for your friend.

– Talk about how you will maintain your relationship and stay connected. If possible, set a date when you will see each other again. Having something to look forward to will help you deal with loneliness and distance.

– Accept the fact that things between you will not be the same any more. Different schedules, interests and maybe even different time zones will cause slight changes in your friendship. In order to preserve its quality, you should adjust to new circumstances.

– The fact that you two don’t live any more in the same city doesn’t mean that you should stop doing some of your regular activities like playing games online or chatting with your mutual friends.

– Allow yourself enough time to go through all emotional stages, eventually feel better and adjust to the new situation. Change is a part of everyone’s life. The sooner you embrace it, the better you will feel about it.