By Tyshaia Earnest
We all expect the first few months of a long distance relationship to be the toughest. This circumstance will test your relationship to its max. You are confused; Neither you nor your partner knows exactly what to expect. Then, we hear from two types of people. There are those who stress how much distanced love will not work. Then there are those who recite the cliché, inspirational quotes like, “Well, you know absence makes the heart grow fonder.” As if being in a long distance relationship is not hard enough, you are constantly dodging everyone’s opinion. Your endless hours of researching how to survive long distance relationships consist of repetitive blogs talking about how long distance is a huge commitment and an unnecessary workload, especially on top of all your school work. However, what people fail to mention are the perks that come out of being in a temporary, long distance relationship. Not only will these perks benefit your relationship, but they will also benefit you as an individual. Let me be the one to tell you, as crazy as it may sound, there are nine amazing perks that come from a healthy long distance relationship.
You will develop more patience.
You will always be eager for the next time you get to see your partner. At first you will be constantly checking your countdown for the next time you will get to see your bae. Then, over time, your patience will naturally grow. I understand that it may be weeks or even months until you see your significant other, but stay patient; the time is coming.
You will learn how to effectively express feelings through communication.
Since you are now cities or even states apart you are forced to express your feelings through nothing but words. Practicing good communication could not only be the key to surviving a long distance relationship, but it improves your communication and conflict resolution skills overall. Your future employer will appreciate this.
You can be almost positive you both are committed to each other.
Let’s not hide the fact that a long distance relationship is hard work, especially while in college. This commitment signifies that there is no doubt you both agree there is an overall purpose and end goal in your relationship. Since you both are investing precious time into making your relationship work, despite the distance, you can be sure that you both are committed to each other.
You get more “me” time.
College is the time to find yourself. I know you would rather be spending the day with your partner instead of sitting in your dorm studying and reading blogs all day. However, this time apart is beneficial. Understand that some people tend to lose themselves in their relationship. Most of the time this happens unintentionally, but, just in case, this time apart will give you more opportunities to focus on your individual career goals, find your own social life and explore your own likes and hobbies. Overall, this time apart will help the both of you independently build yourselves.
You will always having something to talk about.
It’s expected to not speak to each other as often as you did when you shared the same zip code. When you do find the time to speak, it is almost impossible to run out of things to talk about. During these conversations, don’t be shocked when deeper thoughts are evoked, which leads us to the next perk.
You will get to know things about each other that you never knew.
Those deep conversations begin to reveal a lot about your partner. You begin to learn more about what they want and what they dislike. Getting to know them better is beneficial because, even though you are miles apart, you begin to feel closer at heart.
The time you do spend together is more cherished.
When you finally get to see each other this won’t be a time spent ignoring each other. This will be a time where you literally will not be able to take any second for granted.
You get better at planning.
This perk is very underrated! Since you and your partner won’t always have the same availability there will be times where you have to plan a visit or even a simple FaceTime date. Getting through your long distance relationship will take extensive planning. On the bright side, when it is all over you will be able to plan with ease.
And finally, distance will make your relationship stronger.
You are probably rolling your eyes at this perk since you hear it A LOT during this journey. You will unnoticeably begin to appreciate your partner more, which is the best thing ever in a relationship. It will also build trust, which is crucial. Seeing that there are plenty of new people to pursue in college, and realizing that you still only have eyes for one shows that you have gained more self-control. These things will make the future of your relationship way better.
Loving from afar may be a tough time in your relationship, but a lot of positives can come from it. You may not be grateful now, but you will be after you two are finally reunited. After surviving your long distance relationship you will not only brag that your relationship can survive through almost anything, but you can also list the many benefits you acquired from it.