If you’re anything like me you know the hardest goodbye at the end of the summer is to your significant other. Whether the distance is 50 or 500 miles, it all feels the same. No matter how many times you say goodbye, the first month is the hardest. Here are a few ways to make transitioning back to long distance life easier.
When decorating your room only hang a few pictures of your significant other.
Being surrounded by their face at all times won’t make the distance any easier. All it will do is make you think of them.
Planning will be your best friend in a long-distance relationship.
Plan time in your schedules where you can call, FaceTime and visit one another. If you have a car on campus, the travel aspect won’t be that hard. It is just important to make sure you save enough money for gas. If you don’t have a car, check out Megabus for some discounted tickets. A visit doesn’t always have to break the bank. To keep your relationship strong, try and visit each other at least once or twice a semester. Setting travel dates will give you something to look forward to throughout the semester and will help get rid of some of that long-distance anxiety. You can do all of these together, even when you’re far apart.
Take time to focus on yourself.
Take it from someone who’s been doing this for almost two years now, texting constantly will only make the distance worse. Turn off your phone and spend time with the people around you. College is about self growth and discovery. You can’t do that when your eyes are glued to a screen. Days of not texting one another will give you more to talk about in the future. Disconnecting from your phone helps develop trust. Trust is key to any healthy long-distance relationship. Part of that trust means allowing your significant other to spread their wings. You may be worried at first if you see they’re out with friends, but you have to trust that they will tell you everything. Introduce them to your college friends so that they’re still involved in an aspect of your life. Most importantly, take time to focus on yourself! College should be your time to shine too; so go out to that party, go to football games, join clubs and fully immerse yourself in the culture of your school. If you do this you will make a new network of friends and feel satisfied being on your own.
Make the most of your time apart. I promise you will discover more about yourself and feel more secure in your relationship because of it. Best of luck!
– Hope Weltman