This has been bothering me for a while and I finally want to talk about it.
A few weeks ago I randomly thought about one of my closest friends from college — someone I genuinely considered a best friend for years. I opened WhatsApp to text him and realized our last conversation was 5 months ago. Not because of a fight or anything dramatic. Just... life happened and neither of us followed up.
When I actually went through my contacts, I counted at least 8 people I used to talk to regularly who I've basically gone silent with. People I actually like. People I'd be happy to hear from tomorrow. But somehow weeks turn into months and the longer it goes, the more awkward it feels to randomly reach out.
I've tried setting calendar reminders but it feels robotic and I usually ignore it anyway. I've tried keeping a notes app list of people to check in with. That lasted about 10 days.
How do you guys handle this? Is there a system that actually works long term? Or do most adult friendships just naturally fade and we're supposed to accept that?
TL;DR: Drifted from 8+ close friends without any falling out — just bad at staying in touch. Looking for a system that actually works.