5 Tips On How To Maintain A Long Distance Relationship
How to assure your long distance relationship will last.
Austin Neill on Unsplash The idea of a long distance relationship seems to be too stressful for most people. But they’re certainly not impossible! If both you and your partner put in the same energy, it’s easy! Life is too short to hold back the feeling of loving someone.
A long distance relationship doesn't mean you’re automatically doomed. It gives you time to grow as a person. No one wants to admit it, but when you start dating someone new, naturally you spend less time with your friends and more time with your partner. You slowly start to rely on your partner more and more for a sense of security.
Dating someone a few hours or a few hundred miles away, leaves you with a good amount of space to continue your own, personal growth and not rely on someone else for your happiness or future. You’ll also learn to give someone the benefit of the doubt. They may not be able to answer you as quickly as you’d like, but that doesn’t mean that your partner is up to no good.
Although you may not be as physically close to your partner as you’d like to be, long distance relationships can work. For some people, it’s the best relationship and learning experience of their life.
1. Know your partner's schedule.
Imagine calling your significant other and every time they can’t talk. It would get super frustrating. If both you and your partner share each other's schedules it allows the two of you to know and remember the best times to reach out to each other. I’m not saying know what they’re doing every second of everyday, but there are certainly benefits to knowing the generalized schedule of your partner.
2. Call, don’t text.
Talking on the phone is way more intimate. Not to mention, it's easy for text messages to be misconstrued. Everyone interprets punctuation, sarcasm and even emojis in different ways. Nothing like getting in an argument over text and knowing you can’t see the person to actually talk and clear the air. Don’t not text, but maybe keep sharing really great news or really bad news until you have the opportunity to call them.
3. Send them letters via snail mail.
Write your partner cards! You can even print out photos at your local pharmacy or your own printer and mail them to your significant other. Sometimes the simplest of gestures mean the most, plus it's fun to be crafty! And even better, everyone loves a hand written letter by their loved ones. Your partner can hang it up in their room or keep it in a safe place and know they always have it to look at.
4. Budget wisely and plan to get together.
Try to keep a budget in mind when it comes to visiting one another. You can put aside $20 to getting a plane ticket each month. Knowing when your set to see your partner next always keeps the relationship exciting. Try to book plane tickets or hotel reservations far out to help save money as well. Looking into the reward programs hotels offer may be worth it as well. Most offer free rooms or discounts the more frequently you stay with them. Oh, also always look for the ones that offer a free continental breakfast!
5. Give your partner your undivided attention.
When you do get the chance to see your partner or talk over the iphone, don't be multi-tasking. Devote your time to your person so they feel wanted and heard. Enjoy the little time that you do have to catch up with your partner. If possible, I always try to call when I’m alone because I don’t want to feel like I have to rush because I have company over. Jotting down things you’d like to tell your partner in the notes on your phone is also a good idea.
Cassidy Layton is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture, entertainment news and relationship topics.