So here you are. You’ve met the love of your life, the yin to your yang, the white to your rice, the Jack to your Rose (without the drowning bit), and every other love cliché in between. But sadly, different people have different wants, different passions, different callings, and thus you may find that your path, once so perfectly entwined, is going to part from your lover’s path.
What do you do when tragedy strikes? Give up like you gave up during finals week? Cry to your mama? Binge drink while watching My Little Pony and reminiscing on how easy it was to be a toddler who had no idea what love was? No! (Well maybe the binge drinking part…) Do not fret. Just follow the ten steps below and you will be sure to be back in your lover’s warm, accepting, and perhaps even muscular arms before you know it.
1. First things first: is it worth it? If you like the person solely for his or her booty action, run away and do not ever look back. If you are only interested in what happens between the sheets, then this person is not someone worth holding on to. But if you are genuinely interested in this person and see a future both physically and emotionally, go ahead and make those promises.
2. DTR: “Define The Relationship.” If you think that this person is worth holding on to, but question whether or not you are ready for the LD commitment, maybe an open relationship is for you. Believe it or not, many open relationships become stronger and more successful in the future. On the flip side, keeping it closed means that you know that your partner is keeping both his or her legs and heart closed to everyone but you. 3. Keep a token: Keeping a token of this person can help you stay close to this person. If it is a serious relationship, exchanging promise rings can provide a constant reminder of your love for your partner. If it is not as serious, exchanging something as simple as a shirt to sleep in can provide a similar comfort.
4. Be honest: You made a promise, so keep it. But, we are all human, so if you happen to slip up, be honest with your partner. Lying can only make the situation worse.
5. Make time to talk: Just because you’re not always with your lover doesn’t mean that he or she is any less important than the people who are physically around you. Make sure you call enough to let them know that you are thinking about him or her. And yes, I said call. Texting and messaging is okay to get through the day, but if that is all you do, eventually your partner will feel as if they are dating a phone rather than a person.
6. Keep it interesting: As long as you are making time to talk, take the time to make that talk interesting. “I had work, then gym, and now I’m talking to you,” does not make invigorating conversation to have over and over again. Spice up the conversations with fun articles you read, or activities you want to do.
7. Make plans to see each other: So maybe you cannot see your knight in shining armor or beautiful princess full time, but what you can do is see him or her part time. Try to plan a trip together, or even just a meet-up. Seeing this person physically can remind you just how happy you are with him or her.
8. Utilize your time apart: Boundaries are good. Each person in the relationship is their own person. While you are away from your partner, make sure to utilize the time you have by yourself to pursue what interests you (take a fitness class, demonstrate your artistic prowess in a painting, learn how to skateboard, make a Sim version of you and your beloved and have them adopt a Sim cat).
9. Do something together: Miles apart? That is okay! Schedule time to do something such as watching a movie together. Sure, you will not be warm and cozy cuddling up in your boo thang’s arms, but you can provide each other live commentary while the movie is playing. This makes the miles seem so much shorter.
10. Remember how important this person is to you: Think about why you decided to make the commitment to be in a long distance relationship. This person is meaningful, he or she understands you, and you cannot imagine what you would be without this person in your life. When times get hard, remember that eventually you will be together again, in a relationship that is even stronger than it was before.