The Beatles were right: you can get by with a little help from your friends. The problem is that it is difficult to maintain relationships if you don’t see your friends very often. So what can you do when you have not seen your best friends for ages and your job leaves you so exhausted that you feel that you don’t have an ounce of energy to devote to your loved ones? Make a plan to reorganize and balance your life, including time with your friends and your family.

“Several studies show that maintaining friendships increases lifespan and improves the immune system”, according to Andrea Bonior, a clinical psychologist in Washington, D.C., and author of The Friendship Fix: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Losing and Keeping up With Your Friends. “But many women find it difficult to give priority to their friends because they do not regard them as important as family, work and a myriad of responsibilities.” Follow this anti-stress plan to achieve a better balance and stay connected with the important people in your life.

1. Not Satisfied With Updates On Facebook
   – Taking time for yourself is essential for feeling good, having a sense of balance in your life, and having the energy you need for your family. “Take time to talk on the phone with a friend or, better yet, get together from time to time. Even if you have to plan a month in advance you need the personal contact, face to face, or hearing a voice, that looking at your friend’s Facebook page does not give.
2. Certain Hours Of The Day Are Only For Family
   – Does your friend always calls when you putting the kids to bed? Or is it when when you and your husband want to spend a moment together after dinner? Solution: Set firm limits on when you will talk to friends. It is not a crime to tell your friends when you have family obligations and that at these times you cannot talk. Let you friends know when you are free to talk or go to lunch together. That way you won’t lose precious time with your children or your friends.
3. Fixed Dates And Times
   – It can be difficult to agree on a date with a friend when you are up to your neck in family activities and household chores. Weekdays blend into weekends and there is always something to do. Solution: Choose a date and a time for getting together with your friends and stick to it. Get a sitter if you need to and don’t miss your outing. Setting dates and times to get together with a group of friends works. You make a mental note and keep reminding yourself and it becomes something that you will not miss.
4. Be Flexible
   – What if your only friend is only available at 8 a.m. on her way to or from work. Make the effort and chat over a bagel and coffee. What matters is being together. Such quick get-togethers can be great for your mood and sense of wellbeing. It is always great to talk and laugh with a friend and know that you are not alone to face the challenges of life.
5. Have Realistic Expectations –
   In your single life you could stay out all night or spend a weekend at a luxury spa. But, when at least one of you has children to care all night outings and spontaneous trips do not fit into the picture. Find time to see your friends. Make phone calls. Keep in touch even if it is not over cocktails at the disco at 2 am.