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I was together with my boyfriend for a year and 10 months when we said goodbye at the airport and I flew four thousand miles to the United States of America. Now, it has been almost three months since we haven’t seen each other and I am finally going to meet him two weeks from now. Yes, I have been counting the days.
Even though this is only three months, I realize that it will be at least four years living this way. I believe it is possible to maintain a long-distance relationship, no matter what the distance is, if it’s real love. However, it requires some input.
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There are several things that we have been doing that have helped us “survive” these three months. We send messages to each other every day to just to remind how much we love each other and to share how our days are going. Also, we often share pictures or videos of what we are doing. I feel closer to my boyfriend when I not only read or hear about what he is doing, but also see it. We try to call each other at least for five minutes every day or every other day and almost every weekend we talk for hours on Skype. Also, to show how much we care about each other, we have exchanged packages with some local sweets (he also studies in a foreign country) and other small gifts. These were sent as surprises and it was amazing to receive something that he had put together with his hands. Likewise, I enjoyed picking gifts for him and it was so heartwarming to see him happy about the surprise.
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If you are far away from your boyfriend or girlfriend, you might fear that your relationship is threatened. However, to keep yourself hopeful and positive, look at it as a chance for you both to make your relationship even stronger. If you are able to survive the distance, you know that you both can do anything.
To feel closer, try to find things you can both do together while apart – watch the same film at the same time, read the same book, play online games together or go out walking together while on video-call.
Nevertheless, try to use the time alone to enrich yourself, concentrate on studies, pursue a new hobby and make friends. That will keep your mind off of thoughts about loneliness and missing the other person while enjoying activities you might not have time for if you were together.
Most importantly, stay in touch and know what your boyfriend or girlfriend is doing. Always keep track of important life events and experiences of the other person to show them that you care about what they do.
To make this more hopeful – a 2013 research found out that couples who are in a long-distance relationship have less interactions, but they are more meaningful and people reveal more about each other in their conversations and become even closer.
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Long-distance relationships certainly are very difficult and it’s sad to be far away from your boyfriend or girlfriend. However, if you work on it and try to remind each other how much you want this to work out, it will. Besides, this experience might make you even closer and your feelings stronger. You can do it!