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Long distance relationships - how can you make them work?
Aife
Community Manager Posts: 3,030 Boards Guru
Hey everyone,
Having a successful long distance relationship is possible, but it can be difficult. How do you maintain a happy loving relationship despite long distances?
Look forward to hearing your thoughts!
- Aife
Maybe somethings don't get better, but we do. We get stronger. We learn to live with our situations as messy and ugly as they are. We fix what we can and we adapt to what we can't. Maybe some of us will never fully be okay, but at least we're here. We're still trying. We're doing the best we can. That's worth celebrating too ❤
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I believe there are many key components that are vital in not just a long distance relationship but also in relationships in general.
Communication: Is a definite must. Its basically the foundation that keeps your relationship on its feet. And most importantly so, how can any partner know or help you through a difficult time if you don't relay your concerns and be honest about what's troubling you? equal communication is very important and its okay to get a little busy or distracted but its vital you at least let them know and they won't take it to heart.
Trust: Another vital part. It can be hard for some if you don't have trust, especially when they can't see you everyday. Some people might be worried that you may find someone better or someone who lives closer. But honestly I believe that no matter the format no matter how close or far, If you love one another then it is exactly the same as any relationship. Make sure you establish trust early in the relationship and reinforce it. If there's no trust then that can be a problem.
Respect: Not a long distance relationship specific but still a must in any relationship.
Planning: Let's be honest we all get a little busy especially with work and such. But its really easy to figure out what free time you have in a day and reserving that for them. Even if its just at dinner or unwinding before bed. You can eat dinner together or talk before you fall asleep. No matter how simple its important you talk. The same goes for time off. If you have a week or few where you're both free its important to plan out early so you can both visit each other.
Keep the love going: Many argue "I love you" just simply isn't enough but its still a vital part. remember to let them know how much they mean to you. Do simple gestures. Send them some things or cards through the mail. Spontaneously do or send things that reminds them that in this busy ever changing world, you are still thinking of them.
But most importantly.
Enjoy it: Some do argue its difficult and sometimes it can be. But don't let opinions or anyone get in your way. Enjoy each others company, personality, quirks, humor.
enjoy the relationship.
Happy Galloping :rainbow2:
🌈Positive thoughts🌈
"This is my family. I found it, all on my own.It's little, and Broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good." ~ Stitch
"Lately, I've been struggling with all the simple things in my life" ~ Cian Ducrot
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I think that the key thing with long distance relationships and making sure they work is communication, there are many other aspects that keep the relationship working which laine shared above which are also very important.
Communication with your partner means that you are able to know if there is something which isn't working in the relationship but you are also able to find all the great things about the relationship which you are in. Communication can be varied through different methods for example maybe for everyday communication you may text each other but for conversation which you want to be longer may be over the phone or through a skype or facetime. Communicate and enjoy the relationship you are in, sometimes it might be difficult.
Rayofhope:rainbow:
Long phone calls and skype calls are the really important. This can often be a lot better for extended and concise conversations than just text messaging, where you can't really quite gauge how the over person feels/what they are trying to communicate.
Because you are not seeing each other as often as you would when its not long distance, little gestures can go a long way and show you're thinking about the other person. I hate to say this, but a lot of gestures can be carried out over social media. For example, when me and my boyfriend were apart from each other we would send snapchats to each other a lot, and tag eachother in stupid things on facebook. This can sometimes be really meaningful, like tagging someone in an event comment section saying something like 'You love this band, we should go together'. I think little gestures in your downtime can just show that even though you are procrastinating, the other person is on your mind.
There are definitely some ace replies here and I have to agree with you all!
I think it's obvious that communication is key. Like @Meggles mentioned, there is so much technology around nowadays that it is so easy to connect with someone across the world. Whether you text or write to each other, call and speak through voice or video message to actually see one another, it keeps you connected in every way. This is whats going to keep the spark going. Make it fun, learn about each other, share stories, pictures and videos. This is how you are both going to learn about each other and build on the relationship. It's also going to help the other person know what's going on in your life, how your are feeling and what you want. You don't have to overwhelm each other as this can be damaging too, so I've found that a once a day chat in the evenings is nice.
This bring me on to keeping it exciting! Evening chats and little dates are a great way to keep things alive, exciting and romantic. Again, you'll learn about each other here and explore the relationship. These are great to have once a week where you can set a time, set a date and really make it special. Like a virtual date!
Then, if money allows, there's making the effort to meet. I know that this can't always be the case, but so long as you work towards meeting at some point in the year, it shows that you want to see one another and gives you something to look forward to. This can be from once a month to meeting for Christmas. When my partner and I were apart in the early stages of our relationship, sometimes we'd surprise one another with an early train journey or plan to meet spontaneously that week. I think it really kept our relationship alive and showed us both that we really wanted to see each other.
This helped with our trust. It can be so hard to trust somebody that is miles away. You aren't sure what they are doing, where they are etc. But so long as you are doing the other 3 things above, trust will come with them, just like in any other relationship, even in person. We don't always trust straight away but so long as we reassure one another, have good communication and are honest then you know that the other person wants to make the relationship work and want to be with you.
If you're both committed to making the relationship work, and want to be together, just enjoy it all. If you've found someone and they're worth it, stick with it even when times are hard or lonely. Because at some point in the future, you'll end up being in the same place together and the distance won't last forever. Besides, sometimes being long distance can give us the opportunity to travel and explore the world. It's a big place and there's no better way than to explore it with someone you love.
-PositiveAura:rainbow2: