Low maintenance friendships are one of a kind; here's how you lowkey keep them

Do you have that one friend who shows up in your life every once in a while and asks you to meet up for coffee, dinner, or dessert? If yes, then that's your low-maintenance friend right there.

Low maintenance friends are friends you don't have to talk to every single day but are there when you need them. They are people you don't spend so much time with yet when you do meet up and see each other, everything's the same, as though nothing's changed.

There's no underlying reason why friends like them don't meet up or talk as often as others. It's just the natural course of life for them.

It takes months even years before these people reconnect with each other. But what's best about it is when they finally meet up, there's so much excitement and stories to share. Despite the long absence (and in some cases, distance), they simply never run out of things to talk about.

When it comes to low maintenance friendships, there are no judgments and explanations needed. It's only natural that there are silent, quiet gaps once in a while. But that doesn't mean that you just let them be.

Low maintenance friends also need a teeny tiny bit of maintenance.

Maintaining friends, especially during this pandemic, has been quite a challenge for each and every one of us. Despite the existence of numerous social media platforms and discoveries of applications like Zoom, Netflix Party, Spotify Sessions, and such, being physically there with our friends still evokes a different feeling.

That's why low maintenance friendships are winning. They don't require that much energy. And here's how you keep them in your life.

Show up when they need you

It's not always that you talk with your low maintenance friends so when they need you, show up. When they hit you up or send you a message, you respond.

Dr. Marisa Franco, counseling psychologist and assistant clinical professor at Georgia State University, shared on American Psychological Association's podcast 'Speaking of Psychology' that reciprocity is what makes a good friendship.

She explains, “Early signs of reciprocity are very promising. Like you reach out and they're also reaching out to you. What's really important for friends is people that are rooting for your success. When you share good news, are they happy for you? Are they excited for you? Research studies actually find that this predicts how satisfied we are in the relationship, even more so than whether someone shows up for us when we're sad. So that's really important. We want someone who is looking out for us, wants the best for us.”

Being a good friend is showing up and being supportive. When your low maintenance friend contacts you, that is an effort in itself that you need to genuinely reciprocate.

Make a plan and take initiative

Low maintenance friends are called such because they don't require so much time, energy, and effort to maintain. But it doesn't mean you don't reach out to them once in a while, either.

Dr. Marisa Franco shares that to maintain and deepen friendships you have to create your own continuous unplanned interaction. She explains, “So I would say schedule a monthly meeting on your calendar for you and your friend to catch up and put it there, so that it's there, and you don't have to figure out 'when can we find the time?' It's there automatically, so that you can find that time to connect. “

The psychologist also pointed out that rekindling friendships also relies on how you think. She points out, “Other things that I would suggest is taking that assuming people like you and applying it to old friendships you want to rekindle to.”

She further explains, “Because often we don't reach out to these old friends because we're sort of like, oh, maybe they're not interested. They've moved on. They have all these other things going on in their life. They're too busy. But instead, 'Hey, they're probably wanting to hear from me and they're probably wondering about me, too.' And that being the mindset that can allow you to actually reach out to some people that you want to connect to. “

There is no need to overthink that low maintenance friendship of yours because there was a reason it was that way, to begin with. Talk to that girlfriend now while you're at it!

Speaking of strong female bonds, check out Hannah Precillas and Jessica Villarubin's friendship in the gallery below.