If you’ve ever been in love, you’ll know that the idea alone of spending several months, or even years apart from your partner is already enough to leave you feeling instantly dejected to the pit of your stomach. I guess the thought of having long-distance relationships does sound extremely intimidating, seeing that many of our friends’ and acquaintances’ relationships have failed over the test of time.
Allow me to take you through a simple course of a typical LDR; you hopefully sign yourself up because of willpower believing that it’s going to work out no matter what. Then, when he departs to a destination that leaves you with a six-hour time difference, you start to have doubts; some of which would be doubts about his loyalty, doubts about whether his feelings will dissipate without the presence of physical touch and ultimately, doubts about whether you two will survive this trial. The rest, they say, is up to the both of you to work on.
Well, we beg to differ no matter how much some people believe that these things are impossible. With the right determination and willingness from both parties, it will work out! Believe and plan your next course of action. Here are our tips!
Stay Committed
When being in a long-distance relationship, it’s very important for both of you to know that you are equally committed in developing the relationship into something greater. The sooner you realize that you’re both on the same page, the more you will believe that this is worth all your time and energy.
Set Boundaries
Although it seems borderline-possessive, setting boundaries with your partner will eliminate a huge portion of your insecurities. The both of you should have a distinct line separating the things that you’re comfortable with and also being open to what your partner is uncomfortable with. For instance, is your partner allowed to go on dates with other people while the two of you are still an item? Think about that.
Communicate Your Expectations
Don’t play games! He will never be able to read your body language or know that you’re upset just because you didn’t insert a smiley emoji when sending him a text. All the more when he’s far away, you should always be honest about your expectations and tell him what you desire from the relationship. Trust me, he will thank you for this too.
Keep the Romance Alive
Communication is your greatest weapon when it comes to LDR. Lots of texting, phone calls and video chats will essentially keep you going strong and reinforce your determination to go further. Being able to communicate your feelings, day-to-day musings, dreams and fears will keep you from falling victim to a failed LDR. Take the time to slowly master the art of communication because not everyone is an effective communicator.
Make Time
No matter how busy you and your partner are, pick at least one day out of the week, set a specific time and stick with it. It could be a Skype date, a long phone call or even some virtual kinky time. Whatever it is, if the both of you want the relationship bad enough, then you will always have time for one another.
Distract Yourself
Whenever you’re missing him like crazy, don’t inflict yourself with more pain by sulking in bed and allowing your misery to develop. Instead, go out, have a couple of drinks with some friends, watch a comedy, get a pedicure or hit the gym! The worst you could do is further harness these feelings and become a self-loathing sob story.
Be Realistic
Discuss with your partner and make sure that there is an end-goal to this. There must be a day when the both of you will be physically available to each other again so look forward to the time when you could leap back into his arms. If there is no end-goal, you might want to reconsider the reason why you’ve committed to this relationship in the first place.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Don’t go all psycho on him when he has to miss a Skype date or forgets to send you a morning text. When you’re so far apart, you wouldn’t want to freak out over the littlest of misunderstandings and petty arguments as this could lead to a bigger blunder. Although you love the long reassuring hugs he gives you when you make up, remember that he’s just not there to do that in the mean time. Be reasonable about the things he does that make you unhappy because the both of you deserve a life separately, too.
Be Positive
I’m not going to lie as this takes up pretty much every ounce of strength you have deep in you. Even if your relationship is doing fine, a little negativity can go a long way and may sooner or later become the main cause of a downhill relationship. So, be strong, toughen up and always, always try to stay positive.
