Maybe you’re headed off to college, maybe you just got a great promotion or some other life changing event has occurred, but you’re going to have to change time zones. You have to move, but you don’t want to give up on that relationship with that special someone. Or, maybe you’ve met someone online and that special someone is living very far away. Long-distance relationship is never a great fun, you always want to be near the one you love, but they are possible. But, you can make a relationship survive over long distances, and perhaps even make it thrive.
What You Must Know Before Entering a Long-Distance Relationship
It’s important, going into a long-distance relationship, to make sure that you and your partner understand each other going into this experience. What if she wants to talk to you five times a day, but you really only want to chat a couple of times a week? What if you want to visit her every weekend, but she’s too busy to spare the time? It’s important that you lay down some ground rules for how your new relationship is going to work. Some couples witness that laying down a specific time two days a week where they would talk on the phone, and then being sure to e-mail each other every day works. Or making any kind of schedule, no matter how unromantic that might sound. It’s impossible to keep your partner constantly up-to-date with your life when you’re hours away, but it’s important that they remain in the know about your day-to-day lifestyle.
Another essential component to making a long-distance relationship work is having the right expectations for the relationship. Both people have to understand that the relationship is not going to work exactly like it would if you were five minutes away.Be sure to talk with your partner about this, and make sure that they’re willing to put in the effort and the flexibility to deal with the growing pains of the move and figure out how this new stage of your relationship is going to work.
Third, both partners must have the utmost trust in each other. Both people have to believe that their partner will remain faithful, even in this kind of setting. If one person does start having suspicions, it’s very hard to ease their minds, since the most you can do is tell them over and over that it’s not true. It’s hard to provide proof when you’re a thousand miles away. Nothing sours a long-distance relationship faster than one person harboring suspicions of infidelity. Be sure that both of you are committed to this relationship and trust each other before moving forward.
When You Cover The Basics, Move On To the Fun Stuff
While it does take some work, a long-distance relationship needs to have some fun and spice added to it as well. Send little notes, a card now and then to your partner, just to remind them that you’re thinking about them. On holidays, be sure to do something a little extra to let them know that they’re still a major part of your life. Basically, do whatever you can to make the other person smile whenever you can.
And finally, be sure to spend the time, effort, and money to see each other every once in a while. Buying a plane ticket, even if for just a weekend, does wonders to re-energize a relationship and remind both partners why they committed to each other in the first place. Try to spend holidays and anniversaries together if possible, as its good to keep the special times personal. Also, you will never see a bigger smile on your partner’s face than when you show up unannounced with a surprise visit and a giant bouquet of flowers.
Long-distance relationships are a lot of work, but if two people care enough about each other to put in the time and energy, there’s no reason why they can’t stay together. After all, when two people love each other, what’s a thousand miles here or there? For more fun content like this, check the rest of our blog.
