Now, more than ever, we’re so aware of how precious the time spent with our loved ones is. As we’re getting the opportunity to see the people we care about more regularly now as normality starts to seep back into our everyday lives, it’s fair to say we’re due for a change to how we think about our nights out. No longer should we tolerate hazy, half-forgotten memories of blurry dancefloor encounters- 2021 should be the year of embracing every moment as it comes.
But sometimes it can be hard to keep track- life gets hectic, and we don’t always have time to sit idly and reminisce about our recent escapades. Luckily, there are a few ways you can make the process easier on yourself and guarantee you’ll be equipped with a mental (or literal) scrapbook of memories to look back on in several years’ time.
Take photos- a lot of them
This one’s a no-brainer, but it’s number one on this list for a reason. Taking photos may seem tedious when all you want to do is get lost on the dancefloor, but you’ll thank yourself in the morning- trust me. Ask a stranger to take a photo of your whole group, take group selfies in the bathroom mirror, film yourself taking shots… It may be corny at the moment, but in five-ten years, you’ll be in possession of treasured memories.
Preserve your photos
Photos are nothing if they’re lost in the rubble of a heaving camera roll. We’ve all been there- our camera rolls have succumbed under the weight of screenshots, memes, and other useless content that can obscure the pictures we actually care about. There are a few ways to tackle this problem (that you can investigate further here: http://backlightblog.com/photo-sharing-websites-apps) but the bottom line is: have a system in place to keep your pics from falling to the stream of constant digital content.
Sober time isn’t always a bad thing
Sometimes it can feel like you only see certain people while you’re drinking. While fun, this method definitely isn’t the most conducive to creating lasting memories. Consider meeting up with friends over coffee instead of a pint. As obvious as that suggestion might sound, it can sometimes be hard to remember the last time social interaction wasn’t predicated on the consumption of alcohol.
Give it a miss now and then. Your liver will thank you.
Actually reach out to your new friends
Making friends on nights out is always a turbulent experience- usually consisting of a social media friend request, a strangely meaningful conversation, and then never speaking to each other again. Try actually reaching out to those friends in the cold light of day- you only live once and you never know where those relationships might go. This goes doubly if you met in a bar that’s unfamiliar to you (which, as a side note, you should always explore). You might end up with a new best friend for life- and who doesn’t love making new friends?