How to make a long distance relationship work
While long distance relationships can be difficult, the following are some things you can do to make them work:
1. Find ways to stay connected. There are numerous ways that any relationship can stay connected. Thanks to technology you now have the ability to talk, email, text, instant message, post on a wall, video chat, and the list goes on. If you have a long distance relationship, it does not have to seem so far because you have several options for bridging the gap. Even couples who do live close do not see each other all day long, so in some ways, you could be even closer in a long distance relationship because you take advantage of using the many technological options for staying connected.
|
|
2. Share experiences, even if it is in an unconventional way. One of the things that helps relationships stay strong, is the bonding of individuals through shared experiences. So, if you want to keep your relationship strong, and help it grow, even when it is not the easiest thing to do, you need to find ways to share experiences. This may mean that you both go to the same movie, even if you can't go together. You talk on the phone, tell them where you sat, about the people around you, the taste of the popcorn, and then of course the feelings and reactions you had to the movie you saw. Doing the same activity, and doing what you can to make it a shared experience, even though you did not do it together is a wonderful way to keep those bonds strong.
3. Be trustworthy, and extend trust. One of the problems with making a long distance relationship work is that the natural monitoring system that occurs when you are close together is absent. This makes things like in office flirtations, cheating, inappropriate habits or behaviors much easier. Let's say you told her you quit smoking. Well, you don't have to because she isn't going to smell your clothes, or see your cigarettes. So, to make a long distance relationship work, you have to be trustworthy, and extend trust in return. If you are both worried about being lied to, or lying yourselves, then the relationship won't last, no matter what other measures you take to see that it does.
If you can do these three things, you have a good shot at making a long distance relationship work. You have to be committed to wanting it to work, as relationships have enough problems and things to ruin them, and distance certainly makes a convenient excuse. However, with the right efforts, a long distance relationship can work just as well as any other. Just be sure you do what you can to close the physical distance for real on occasion. For example, meet in the middle to celebrate a birthday, or get together for holidays, or long weekends. As often as you can see each other make it happen.
