February in Chicago—it’s freezing cold outside, cuffing season is in full swing and all you want is to snuggle up with your significant other. This is how I feel pretty much every night, followed by lamenting over the fact that my SO is all the way across the country. Long-distance relationships are hard, but hey, missing someone is a sign of how much you care about and appreciate them. While you’re counting down the days until you see your SO again, here are a few of my top tips for what to do when the feeling of missing your long-distance partner hits the hardest.
- Send Your SO a Sweet Text
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Sending your SO a spontaneous text about how much you love and miss them can be a great way to genuinely brighten up their day in just a few minutes while also putting down your feelings into words. Sure, sending “I love you” or “miss you” is a no-brainer, but typing out a heartfelt text saying just how much your partner means to you can be a super quick but also super romantic gesture. Whenever I do this for my SO, he always texts back that reading my message was the best part of his day, and knowing that always makes my day!
- Netflix & Chill
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Who says you and your SO can’t have a romantic movie night together just because of long-distance? Here comes technology to the rescue! Netflix Party is an amazing tool that enables synchronized video playback for any movie or show on Netflix. It also automatically starts a chatroom on the side of your screen for easy communication, but my SO and I usually prefer to FaceTime so we can see each other while we watch. Grab a tub of ice cream, get all comfy under your duvet and turn on a rom com for the perfect night in with your special someone.
- Send a Care Package or Surprise Delivery
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For those of you who love putting together gifts for loved ones, a care package or delivery service can be a great way to express to your long-distance SO just how much you miss them. Grab a box from the post office and fill it up with decorations, a few of their favorite snacks and a cute card. Here are some fun ideas!
Since college is stressful and you may not always have time to get crafty, surprise deliveries are also a great way to make your long-distance SO feel special. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed with work and holed up in the library at 1:30 am, my boyfriend will order me Insomnia Cookies with a note cheering me on as a surprise treat. Needless to say, it never fails to make my night (or early mornings) a whole lot better.
- FaceTime a LOT
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A FaceTime a day keeps the heartache away. Staying on top of communication is definitely important in a long-distance relationship, and FaceTiming is as close as it gets to feeling as if you’re talking in person. Something that I definitely look forward to every day is talking to my SO over FaceTime after getting home from class, but when I miss him even more than usual, I’ll FaceTime him for just a few minutes if it’s during the day or we’ll make sure to talk for longer if it’s in the evening and both of us are free. This may be cheesy, but nothing soothes the sadness of missing my SO more than hearing his voice and seeing his smile.
- Plan Your Next Visit Together
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When missing your SO terribly, give yourself something to look forward to by planning out the next time you two will see each other! Whether it be a weekend getaway or just a visit to each other’s campuses or homes, figuring out how to make the most of your time together is a great way to refocus the feeling of missing your SO into something fun and productive. Pick out some date night spots, make reservations or buy tickets to a show you two want to see. The preparation ahead of time will definitely lead to an even more special experience when you and your partner are reunited at long last!
Long-distance relationships are never easy, but hang in there! Some people are worth waiting for.