We all have extremely busy lives – we have jobs, partners, kids to take care of, and a lot of us also have increasingly ageing parents that we need to check in on more and more often. A lot of the time, what we tend to let slide is our friends. And let’s face it: that’s kind of a tragedy. A lot of our friends predate our partners – we knew them from school or college and they’ve been with us through thick and thin (often literally, if you were a sad victim of the freshman fifteen!). It’s important to make sure that you maintain your friendships – they’ll be the ones who help you stay sane as the years go by! Here are some tips to help:

Go For A Specific Activity: If you haven’t seen your friends in a while and you’re worried about what to do with them then why not go for some kind of fun activity? Shopping always works – particularly when you take plenty of breaks to stop for pastries and coffee – although there isn’t really much point in going to see a movie together. After all, when are you going to get the chance to talk then? Relive your youth by going ice skating or maybe even bowling – you can get cheap bowling shoes online or you can rent them at the bowling alley. Anything that’s going to make you laugh will work just fine!

Is that a DOG I see?!

Cozy Up In Your House: You might have a partner and kids – if so, throw them out for an afternoon and make sure that you spend time with your girlfriends instead. Crack open a bottle of wine or make some great coffee, provide some cake, and get talking. Even if you haven’t seen each other for a while you’ll be sure to find that the conversation flows just like it always did. Remember that it isn’t always important to get your friends caught up on every single second of your life – you won’t have time for that anyway! Instead, talk about ideas, what’s going on in the world, and any feelings or worries that you might want to get out. You’ll feel more free and unburdened afterwards – and if you have young kids your brain will love you for going for some more intellectual conversation than the usual “Yes, you can pet that lady’s dog. No, we can’t take him home with us. Please get up off the sidewalk and stop crying.”

YUM

Go Away For A Girls’ Weekend: If you’re free and single or if you can leave your kids with your partner for the weekend, there’s nothing better than a weekend away with your nearest and dearest best friends. Go to the nearest city and rent an Airbnb and go dancing all night in heels that you don’t usually wear any more, or take a relaxing spa break together – just make sure it’s the sort of spa that serves plenty of prosecco and chocolate as well as health food! Just be aware that you might not want to get back to your real life once the weekend’s over. But hey, everyone needs a break!

 Loving the hats!

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