I have been in a long-distance relationship since the beginning of the fall semester of 2016. It hasn’t been that long, but it has been the most wonderful and stressful months of my life. Being six hours away from each other makes it hard for us to see each other and puts some strains on our relationship.
My roommate has been in a long-distance relationship since August 2016 (with my brother, go figure). For them, they already have their happy ending. Both with jobs and cars make them able to see each other most weekends and it has helped them grow into the strong couple that they are now.
If you are in a relationship with someone who does not go to the same school as you or with someone who you are not able to see every day, here are some things that I do to help me get through and get over the complications.
Make time for each other:
Make plans for the weekend to travel up or down to wherever they are so you can see them. Alternating who has to drive makes a huge difference so the same person isn’t always stuck in their car driving hours upon hours to see the other. Not only make plans on weekends, but also on days you have off of school, like winter and spring break.
Skype/ Facetime:
Video calls can make your day go from a 0 to a 10 the moment you see their face. I know that whenever I am having an awful day, I know that my boyfriend can completely change my mood and seeing his face makes it even better.
Have a good support system:
Make sure your friends know what you are going through. They will fully support you and help you through any problems. Just venting to your friends about your significant other being so far away will help get it off your chest. Another person I always talk to is my mom, she always seems to have the best advice that helps me realize that my boyfriend and I are not going to break up, but we’re just in a rough patch and that we’ll get through it.
Find something to distract you:
When I start missing my boyfriend and I’m not able to talk to him because he’s stuck at work, I need something to keep my mind off him. Music, Netflix, reading, hiking, literally anything. For me, I usually blast music or binge watch Friends. Another thing you can do is to go hang out with your friends, they’ll make you forget that you were sad in about .2 seconds.
If you really want a long-distance relationship to work, you have to put in a lot of work, and on both sides. You both have to put in 100%. If you’re ever sad or upset because you miss your significant other, maybe doing some of these tips will help you get through it!
Picture Credit:
Jamie Hockenberry