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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Chicago chapter.

Oh no, you read the headline and you’re thinking, “This is going to be another sappy article about love,” in part, you’re right. But I also think there’s something to be said about the struggle. #thestruggleisreal

If you find yourself falling for someone who lives far away, or will be moving soon, or goes to school in another state, please don’t fret! Don’t suppress these emotions. Listen to your heart, and communicate with your future partner to ensure everyone is on the same page.

With the way dating culture works now, I can say from past experiences it’s really hard to define what is what. You’re hanging out with a guy – or girl – for about a month, you start asking about how their grandma is doing and all the sudden you’re thinking, “oh shoot, what are we?”.

To make it even better, you might be leaving for school soon! Or you might find an awesome job opportunity out of the state. My motto is to tell whoever you’re seeing what you’re feeling as SOON as you can.

Why hold back? We’re humans, we’re having these “how are we gonna work out?” or “will he/she want to stay with me?” questions and insecurities linger in our heads. I don’t know about y’all, but I try my best to be at peace of mind as much as I possibly can be it helps me function better.

Long distance relationships get a bad wrap because they’re difficult. It’s not like anyone is willing jumping to get into one – or maybe I was – I don’t know, that’s a different story. However, with my current boyfriend, I felt like for once someone was seeing me for me, not for the fact that I go to school in Chicago and will be six hours away from where he is.

Photo Courtesy to my iPhone 8 plus

It was like that from the start, and I think that’s what makes it special. I don’t want to be a cheerleader for long distance, because some people aren’t ready to make that kind of commitment. What I want you to get from this article is that each situation is unique.

Every person is different. So, if you find you’re in a spot where you’re looking to pursue something with someone who is far away, make sure they’re up for the challenge. For my boyfriend and I, we both looked at the situation like, “well, it’s either you’re not in my life, or you are”, and we didn’t want to lose out on each other.

While it’s not ideal, I think long distance is necessary sometimes. Especially during these early years of our young lives where we find someone who makes you feel special. At the end of the day, it’s about the fact that you love this other person, or you’re falling for this person, and that alone should be celebrated and embraced.

Bridget Ekis

Columbia Chicago '21

Sophomore at Columbia College Chicago majoring in multimedia photojournalism. Lover of all things comedy, relationships and dog related.