College BFFs' emotional reunion backstage after 8 years of mental health struggles is giving hope

Friendships are one of the most precious relationships in our lives — even when life is not going our way, they are what keep us afloat. However, the adverse changes that adulthood brings along can immensely affect these relationships and make life harder than it already is. Author and social media personality, Elyse Myers, shared a video of meeting her college best friend, Morgan, after 8 years, on her Facebook account, and almost every adult can relate to the ache and challenges of a long-distance friendship.

Elyse and Morgan met during their college days and hit it off so well that within no time, they became best friends. However, graduation and adulting led to immense changes in life — even geographically — which led the duo to part ways. The decreased proximity brought about adverse changes in their equation — the hour-long calls and frequent meet-ups that once used to be, ceased to exist. They tried to keep the spark of their long-distance friendship alive, but adulthood always ended up intervening and shattering the chances of making that possible, so much so that they never got the chance to meet throughout this 8-year period.

8 years and miles of distance later, Morgan finally visited Elyse in San Francisco during one of her shows. The duo reunited at the backstage area of the auditorium where Elyse was performing, and without any control over their emotions, Elyse ran up to her friend and hugged her tightly. The long, beautiful hug has the power to touch something within us all and make us want to dial and catch up with our friends from olden days, whom we have lost touch with. “Just keep swimming, okay? Just keep swimming for me? Because one day, the darkness you’re feeling will let up and the pressure on your chest will lighten,” Elyse wrote in the video’s caption, referring to the grief of adulthood, isolation, and friendlessness she felt throughout the years. 

The equation of friendships changes as we grow up — while childhood friendships are mostly stable, adulthood friendships invite large complexities due to the shifting paradigm of life. As children, we play with our friends, invite them to our birthday, go for a sleepover, or camp in our backyards together, but as adults, friendships are not as much for fun and play time as they are for our well-being — a study by Christos Pezirkianidis and others validates this. It states that adult friendship is positively correlated with individuals' wellbeing — it is a valuable personal relationship among adults, enhancing resilience, and satiating their human need for social interaction. With adulthood, friendship often takes a backseat due to flooding responsibilities and the pressure of building a career and starting a family, just like Elyse and Morgan. But they are also what keep us alive, so we must never give up on our friends!   

The wholesome video garnered a lot of attention. Eliza Rose White shared, "I actually wrote a whole poem about this. About how one day you’ll look around and realize you haven’t been sad in a long time. You’ll feel happy, and it won’t be remarkable anymore; happy will just be your normal. You’ll actually feel the sun on your skin again." Eryka Mueller praised, "I think you’re amazing, Elyse. (Not to mention, excellent choice of your parents to change the I to a Y.) Been struggling with the loss of my daughter to Ewing’s sarcoma last month, and every day feels too hard, and has been so dark. I can’t wait for the day it feels better. I needed your reminder. #daybyday.” Finally, Liz Oliver-Maggiani expressed, "I get to see my bestie tomorrow and I haven't seen her in over a year."

You can follow Elyse Myers on Facebook for more lifestyle content.