My best friend and I have been friends since we were sixteen, so we have been friends for a total of...16 years!

We started hanging out on a regular basis to being super busy with work and boyfriends. I know I could create time to spend with my best friend but I am so busy with work! I try my best to use the majority of my free time with my boyfriend of 4 years or visiting my mom to help her out at home.

I feel like a crappy friend because it is difficult to go out of my way to hang out with her. On the other hand, I feel like that’s what she would do for me. She has made herself available for me many times. In this friendship, I feel like I am being unfair but at the same time I feel like I can’t help how busy I am. She is single so she has a lot more free time than I do.

For the most part she has been very understandable! She also tends to get busy with her own friends. Regardless, I don’t ever want her to forget that no matter how busy I get, I still consider her my best friend because I love her so much!

To summarize it all, I think my friend is upset because she keeps trying to invite me to things but I get very busy trying to balance work, boyfriend, and mom, and am not very good at finding enough time to spend with her.

What is a good way I could continue to make her feel important regardless of trying to balance out a busy schedule? Any tips I could have on being a better friend?

All advice would be awesome, thank you!