6 Ways to Connect With Old Friends

"Ask yourself, what's the worst that can happen? The worst is that you will not stay friends, but you haven't been for a long time. The imagined loss in an old friendship is often worse because we don't recognise that in not being connected to them for years, we have already lost them."

"Stay accountable. If your friendship drifted apart due to a conflict, stay accountable for the role you played in it."

"Be open. Communicate openly and honestly about why you are reconnecting. Again, what have you to lose? Being communicative opens up more doors to the potential reconnection. Your genuineness is much more likely to be reciprocated. Tell them you miss them if you do, perhaps the times you think about them."

"Try and manage expectations. You might not go back to exactly what you were earlier because people change and grow with time."

"Be aware that you will be building a new dynamic in the friendship. There is usually a psychic struggle as we try to stay in old patterns of a relationship despite the passing of time. This poses a hindrance to a new friendship forming with an old friend."

"Respect your pace and theirs. Ease back into this friendship or go at a pace that is suitable to both of you with respect to self-disclosure, frequency of communication, etc. Recognise any boundaries that they may set and set yours as well."