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You met someone not so long ago and things were going great, but now they’re going they’ve left for an internship or a study abroad program this semester. You need to think about the decision you are going to make. If you say you will continue in the relationship, here are a few tips on how to go about the long-distance relationship:
I lived through this dilemma when I graduated high school two years ago. He was younger, so when I graduated we still had a year to be together. Once he graduated, though, everything turned into turmoil. We tried to make it work; after all, it was more than two years of being with the same person, but it didn’t last much longer than that. But, hey, just because I didn’t survive the miles doesn’t mean you won’t. If you really want to make it work, here are some of the tricks I learned from the experience:
First thing’s first: communication. If you didn’t have good communication when you were in the same room, don’t try to make it last because it’s not going to work. Relationships consist of knowing the person you’re with, trusting that special one. Care about what they talks about, even if it’s about that basketball team you’re not really fond of. Talk to him/her about your day and some of your same interests. Find a subject to talk about. Don’t disappear out of the blue, and stop calling. If you do that, then just leave the person because it’s a complete uncertainty you don’t want to go through, trust me. It’s not nice waking up in the middle of the night wondering how they’ve been and why they haven’t called. Don’t wait until they call, you can always make the first approach. Set up Skype or phone dates so you won’t ever forget!
Now, number two is a little bit more complicated: It’s all about this little thing called trust. When I say trust, it means actually believing when they say that they’re hanging out with friends. I’m guilty of being one of those people with trust issues, but I had my reasons. It’s hard and will take a lot of effort, but you have to believe in the one you love even if they’re in Canada and you’re in Antarctica with no cell reception to reach each other. But of course, don’t act oblivious to some actions that might seem suspicious. You may love that person, but you’re not an idiot.
Last but no less important is honesty. If you are not straight-up from the beginning, just walk out the door of the relationship house. You have to be truthful to that person. Don’t lie if you don’t want to be lied to. I know being honest hurts sometimes, but if you don’t say how you feel or what you did, you’re just not boyfriend/girlfriend material.
If you have no idea what those three words mean, then I have sad news for you: prepare yourself for a break-up in the beginning of your new semester. If you really want to be with this person, act like it. But, hey, if it doesn’t work, we can all join the single club. Cheers to that!