It’s no secret that maintaining your sanity while having a long-distance relationship comes with its own set of challenges. Being miles apart can put a strain on relationships, but let’s debunk the myth – these bonds are achievable! With the right sprinkling of time and concerted effort, you can keep the love alive and thriving, even in a long-distance relationship.
Dating and relationships aren’t easy, but we all know by now that anything worthwhile takes effort. It’s crucial that you and your partner find ways to keep in touch if you’re geographically apart.
In addition to a breakdown in communication, trust issues, jealousy, and a loss of romantic feelings can all put a damper on your relationship.
Is it worthwhile to have a long-distance relationship?
The point of my lengthy explanation is not to frighten you away. Although it may be more challenging, a long-distance relationship is nonetheless worthwhile.
Consider whether your time and energy might be better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately, some married or cohabiting couples struggle severely with communication. Separation by moving to a different nation won’t help. For some couples, the stress of having to travel even an hour to be together is too much to bear.
Putting forth more effort can strengthen your relationship if you’re committed to the other person and see a future with them. You and your partner must decide if this is possible.
A Guide for Long-Distance Couples
Before I tell you how to make a long-distance relationship work, let me ask you one question. When did you decide to put your romance on hold?
If you and your long-distance partner are committed to a monogamous relationship and plan to spend the rest of your lives together, then your time apart is not wasted. The finish of that arduous path is in sight. But if one of you is leaving to pursue employment elsewhere and you have no idea where that will lead, the relationship is doomed.
No matter how much we may desire otherwise, real life is not a romantic comedy. In a long-distance relationship, your significant other won’t suddenly hop on a red eye and fly across the world to tell you how much they love you. The world doesn’t work like that.
Consequently, you should give that some thought before implementing these suggestions for managing a long-distance relationship. Once you’ve done that, I pray these suggestions are useful to you and your long-distance sweetheart.
1. Set alarms.
You and your long-distance spouse should always set the alarm for one other’s schedules, regardless of whether or not you are in different time zones. I’m not suggesting people time their work, lunch, and yoga practices with alarms. If they get up at 4 am your time, get up, text them a good morning, then go back to sleep.
Setting the alarm and sending a text to show that you are thinking about them means a lot when you are in a long-distance relationship. Having a general idea of one another’s schedules can greatly facilitate conversation.
2. Arrange to meet online.
Obviously, a long-distance relationship implies not seeing your partner as frequently as a local one. So, schedule and keep your online FaceTime or Skype dates. Don’t skip your regular Monday and Wednesday video chats.
Your teammate is this person. It doesn’t matter if they’re actually there with you or not. Make an effort and keep your word. Also, avoid spending too much time in bed chatting about your schedules or catching up. Set up a date. They share a meal or coffee and light a candle to create an intimate atmosphere.
3. Make actual plans to see each other.
Make plans for the times you will see each other, whether it’s weekends or once a month. Try not to wing it. Because you value your time together, you want to make the most of it. Just follow your passions.
As if you lived together, plan dates, outings, and events. Go sightseeing in each other’s cities and explore where your travels might go.
4. Regular daily communication is encouraged.
A long-distance relationship might be thrown off by even missing one day of communication. In a long-distance relationship, not being able to text or call “I love you” or “goodnight” daily can mean more than you realize.
You can call or text that special someone when it takes to get coffee, use the restroom, or watch a beautiful kitten video on Facebook. You can show you’re thinking about someone by doing something as simple as leaving them a voicemail telling them you miss them, but you won’t have much time to talk today.
5. Spend your time together wisely.
Remember what I said about scheduling quality time together? I don’t want you to put undue stress on yourselves to ensure that everything goes perfectly during that period. That’s not possible.
In a long-distance relationship, I know how much the few opportunities you have to spend time together mean to you. You should also use this opportunity to discuss your long-term goals.
6. If you must argue, please do not do so over SMS.
Fights are inevitable in any relationship. Fights occur between people regardless of whether they share a house or are separated by an ocean. However, misunderstandings are much more frequent when texting is the primary means of communication.
Send your partner a text message saying you want to video chat later that night to talk about your issues. The next step is to talk about the problem right away.
7. Make the most of all the modern gadgets.
The recent decade has seen many major events. With today’s advancements in communication methods, long-distance interactions should not be awkward at all. Keep in touch by making use of what you already have, such as video calls and instant messaging.
Each of your lights can be dimmed and brightened independently. Your heartbeat can be sent using an iPad. Funny things people witness in the supermarket or at the office can be shared via video or photo. Even though it may seem foolish, doing things together that only locals would notice can help keep the two of you emotionally connected.
8. Talk to each other verbally.
I know I’m repeating myself, but please hear me out on this one. The convenience of texting is not lost on me whenever you have a spare moment during the day. After making your point, you may silence your phone. The power of a human voice, however, cannot be overstated.
It doesn’t matter to me if you’re a terrible phone communicator or if you detest the sound of your own voice. Forget about it everything if you want your long-distance relationship to work.
Instead of only reading each other’s words on a screen, it’s much more effective to look each other in the eye and hear their voice.
Texting is fine for the occasional charming message during the day, but you should not use it for serious discussions. I assure you, the quality of your connection will improve, even from afar.
These ideas on how to survive a long-distance relationship are hopefully unnecessary by the time you read this. Because despite the time apart, you and your significant other are still very much in love and very much together.
Meaningful articles you might like: The Ultimate Guide to Enhancing Your Love Life and Relationships , How to Commit to a Relationship and Demonstrate Seriousness to Your Partner, How to Find Calm in a Chaotic Romantic Relationship
