Many people say they would never be in a long-distance relationship as they never work. Not entirely true, long-distance relationships can work, if you do the right things to make sure they do. Sure, being in a long-distance relationship isn’t easy but if you follow these quick tips, there’s no reason your long-distance relationship shouldn’t be as successful as if you were both living in the same town.
Make Sure Its For A Finite Time – The biggest thing you need to know to make a long-distance relationship work is that the long-distance part of it is for a finite time. If you know it’s for six months, a year, two years, until your boyfriend finishes college – whatever time frame you’ve set – then you know what you’re working with and you know how to deal with it. If however, your long-distance relationship has no ending in sight or no agreement to have both of you eventually living in the same place, then end it now. Those types of long-distance relationships always break down.
Stay in Daily Touch – Even if it’s just a quick email to say “Hi” or a short phone call to check in on the other person’s day, make sure you stay in some type of daily touch. It’s too easy to forget you’re in a long-distance relationship with someone, if you only hear from them a couple of times a week.
Be Honest With Each Other – If it’s not working, say so. If you’re feeling lonely, tell her. If you need to spend more time together, arrange to do so. Talking about how you’re feeling in your long-distance relationship is a great idea. But, if you sit there pretending everything is okay, when it clearly isn’t, that’s when resentment will set in and things will come to a head. Often resulting in the breakdown of your long-distance relationship.
Make Time To See Each Other – In any long-distance relationship, you must make time to see each other. Make sure you see each other weekly, monthly or, even if living a long way from each other, several times a year. Otherwise, your long distance relationship is doomed to failure.
I know a couple where she is in Thailand and he is in the UK. Yet, every time they have a break, one of them takes a 12 hour flight to see the other. If they can, you can.
Don’t Always Have One Person Traveling – No matter which person is the busiest, make sure both parties do equal amounts of traveling to see each other where at all possible.
If one person gets stuck doing all the traveling to see the other one, resentment will quickly set in and the long-distance relationship won’t last long.
Always Be Positive – If your boyfriend or girlfriend calls you and you’re constantly complaining about the relationship, it will end quickly.
When you speak to your partner, be upbeat and happy so you’re always a joy to talk to. That will make them want to talk to you more, rather than seek out someone else to talk to, someone who’s closer in proximity and ‘understands them’ better, thus causing the break up of your long-distance relationship.
Long-distance relationships can be successful, as long as you always make time for the other person, travel to see each other as often as possible and be positive and happy when you communicate. Remember though, if the long-distance relationship has no end in sight, eventually one of you will have to make the decision to move closer to the other one or the long-distance part of it will end, and not in the way you want it to.
