“I think we should go on a break,” telling my boyfriend felt strange and painful. We had been dating for about a year and a half and staying together during our transition to college felt right, even natural. Moving to Northwestern was a huge change and meeting new people practically every day, my boyfriend and our relationship was put on the back burner. Schoolwork and social life began to take up much of my time and we communicated less and less. This, I discovered, is no way to spend our relationship. I made a few mistakes and admitted that I needed some time to think about where we stood. Hence where we stand today – still in love and expecting to reconcile, but wondering just how to make it work this time around.
And apparently I’m not alone. According to LongDistanceRelationships.com, around 7 million people in the United States are in long-distance relationships. It also found that 78 percent of students have been in a long-distance relationship at some point and that up to 50 percent of first-year students, like me, are in one. Long-distance love is becoming more popular, but nevertheless it’s tough to maintain. With the help of technology and a few romantic gestures, many relationships can endure the separation.
Technology is maybe the best asset to long-distance relationships today. With the traditional phone call, the popularity of texting and the growing use of Skype, a couple can talk to each other throughout their day in a number of ways. All of these forms are extremely important to take advantage of every day in order to keep lines of communication open in a healthy relationship.
Adding romance to the relationship helps keep sparks flying for long-distance pairs. Taking the time to write an old-fashioned love letter every once in a while in order to shows your love that you are thinking about them and willing to take the time for them! A text or call takes practically no effort in today’s digital age, but writing a cute note or sending a thoughtful gift helps to keep up the romance (and is a nice surprise for anyone to receive in the mail!). A cute “thinking of you text” never hurts, though.
As one of my favorite movies Going the Distance shows, making time to visit your significant other is great, if not crucial. While you may be on a different campus, different city or perhaps even country as your boyfriend or girlfriend, you can still share your new experience and location with them. Being in two different places is sure to give you plenty of stories and places to share with each other. It always helps keep your significant other involved your life when you aren’t with them
“I would rather be with my girlfriend for one day in the year than with any other girl for the entire year so it is so worth it for me!” freshman Jason Riddle
While this advice can help a long-distance relationship stay healthy, it is also necessary to consider the fact that sometimes, it is best to part ways. As in my case, you might need to take a moment to weigh your options and figure out what the right move is. If a boyfriend or girlfriend is getting to be extremely controlling or you feel as if you are missing out on certain experiences just to please them, make sure to stay true to yourself and live your life, not theirs! College is a time to grow, mature and learn, so make sure that your relationship is allowing you to do so as well.