A lot of couples have trouble deciding either to commit to long distance relationship, or call it off. There is no right or wrong decision when it comes to choosing to do long distance or not because it really depends on where each person is in life and where they see the relationship going.
At the end of my senior year of high school, my boyfriend and I had been dating around a year and as it got closer to leaving for college we tried our best to avoid bringing up the subject of long distance or breaking up because we both viewed our “high school” relationship with a realistic point of view. Meaning that at the time we were starting off in two separate journeys where immersing ourselves in the culture and atmosphere of all these new people and opportunities around us was our main priority, while also focusing on school. When we finally talked about what was the best way to approach our situation it was also decided that we would cut all ties of communication because there was no way we could still talk as friends.
Personally, I think this is what I would have done different. Even if we weren’t together officially I would have hoped to have an open line of communication when I needed someone “close” to talk through difficult situations. The idea of taking a break was to give ourselves the college experience and the chance to see if we really wanted to commit to long distance with no questions or hesitations. We have since gotten back together and are in a committed long distance relationship.
I recommend long distance if you are very serious about dating someone you may only see a couple times over long stretches of time. I think the attitude one should have is “we’ll never know until we try it”. After a little while, if the distance is making one unhappy all the time then it is important to openly communicate how the distance is changing how the individual feels about the other. Personally I think it’s worth it because it makes time more precious than ever before. Every phone call, facetime, visit, or school break is so meaningful to me because we make the most out of every second.
It is a choice to do long distance, and it’s not just the relationships between high school and college, but also dating an individual with a job that requires them to travel often or meeting someone online from another country. People are so unsure of long distance because they’re afraid of putting in precious time into something so unpredictable. I believe we assume too quickly, and cut ourselves short of people and opportunities because of fear. We shouldn’t shy away from a difficult path because it takes hard work and commitment. In the end, long distance shouldn’t have a negative connotation because it diminishes some components that make people enjoy being in a relationship. It should be seen as a greater testament of commitment and adoration. Long distance is the ultimate sacrifice, and being willing to go through with it takes so much more than any other relationship. In my eyes, that is one of the greatest demonstrations of love. Long distance is never easy, but it will always be worth it.