LIFE

The holiday season is fast approaching. And along with the cheer, gifts and food comes a variety of soirees with friends and family. In some cases, you may find yourself in a room with a few gals that you once would've considered your BFFs but now feel like more distant acquantainces.

You've grown apart, and there's nothing wrong with that. That said, that doesn't mean that you can't be friendly and make convo with them. Who knows, maybe by the end of the night you'll have dusted off some great memories and rediscovered the magic that made up your friendship. Worst case scenario, you can raise your head high knowing you took the high road and made a solid effort to reconnect.

Reach out via social media before the get-together.
It's never a bad idea to reach out to the host or hostess if you haven't talked to them in awhile. Breaking the ice via social media a few days before the actual party will be easier than doing so in person. Also, it'll allow you to gauge where the two of you stand and to get a sense of how they may have changed since the last time you saw them.

Come up with a few topics of conversation.
After you've done some light FB-stalking and reached out to them, it's time to put pen to paper. Brainstorm a list of a few go-to conversation starters you can pull out should the convo come to an awkward halt. Are they a T-Swift afficiando? Ask them what they think of reputation. Do they love to cook? Reference that Pinterest recipe you saved recently. It'll be way easier if you have a game plan.

Don't set your expectations too high.
You can't expect inside jokes and endless laughs right off of the bat, especially if you haven't talked with this crowd for a bit. Keep your expectations in check, or else you could find yourself putting way too much pressure on yourself and on the other parties involved. If you aren't careful, then suddenly, every little exchange could become stressful, when in reality it's nothing to sweat about.

Be prepared to let things slide.
Did you forget they swapped out running track for playing the piano? Did they bring up that photo of you an bae without realizing the two of you broke up a couple of weeks ago? You have to be willing to let your compassionate side through and let any little faux-paus slide. Be forgiving with yourself and others.

If you don't click, accept it.
Even Beyoncé knows that, regardless of how hard you try, sometimes things just don't work out as you may have envisioned them. If you make it to the end of the night, be proud of yourself for trying and surviving whatever small talk or awkwardness you had to, especially if you're on the more introverted side. That alone can be your little victory; the two of you don't to have brunch plans for next week.

Have you ever reconnected with an old friend? How did it go? Tell us below! 

Photo credit: GIPHY

by Katherine Logan | 1/6/2019