Dating and being in a relationship can be a difficult process. It seems that there are many aspects of life that get in the way and make the process more difficult than it needs to be, such as other girls, guys and social media to name a couple. Imagine the struggles of having a normal relationship with someone in the same school or city as you and multiply those struggles by 100; that is how it feels to be in a long distance relationship. There are many different types of long distance relationships. There are people who are in the same state but different cities, in different states, in different countries, in different countries with a time difference, and being in different countries that are so far apart that the couple doesn’t see the same day at the same time anymore. For me personally, I am currently in a long distance relationship where we are in two different countries with a six-hour time difference. My boyfriend and I have been doing this for eight months so far and still have seven more to go. Here are some helpful hints that have gotten me through the last eight months!
#1: Make time for each other
When you don’t see your significant other for a couple weeks or months, it is important to make sure that you make time for them and your relationship so being apart from each other doesn’t seem so bad. This could be done by simply texting the person throughout the day or making time to Facetime or talk on the phone a couple times a week.
#2: Go out of your way to remind the person you love them/are thinking about them
Being in a long distance relationship can make it hard to do the little things to show the other person what they mean to you. Some of the ways my boyfriend and I have found that help to show how we feel is to send letters, send the other person flowers or candy, text the person a meaningful good morning and good night text, and send Snapchats. All of these things may seem really little and lame, but you’d be surprised how much they mean to the other person.
#3: Trust
Just like in every relationship, long distance or not, trust is an essential aspect to have. When in a long distance relationship, it is even more important since you aren’t with the person as much as most of us would like to be. By trusting the other person, it makes being in the relationship and being apart a lot easier, and puts a lot less stress on both parties. A good way to know what you and the other person are comfortable with is to set boundaries and trust the other person to respect them, and vice versa!
PC: author