If there’s probably one thing that all couples can agree with, it’s that long-distance relationships generally suck. It’s an agonizing feeling — being away from the person you love and trying to lessen the pain with blinking chat windows and Skype calls. According to a survey, individuals in a long-distance relationship typically send each other 343 text messages a week and spend eight hours video chatting or talking on the phone per week.
However, calling and texting won’t solve all your problems. Here are three tips to surviving a long-distance relationship with your partner.
Do Stuff Together Even Though You’re Apart
Just because you two are physically apart, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun together. You can plan a movie night together via Skype and watch the same movie even if you’re miles away from each other. You can also play online games or answer online quizzes together. Discussing the results will spark interesting conversions and let you guys discover new things about each other.
Additionally, schedule “good night video calls” when you’re both in your pajamas. This will make the both of you feel like you’re going to sleep at the same time, creating a more intimate connection.
Be Slow to Judge
If your significant other has all the qualities you need in a life partner, it’s important to know that you trust them and they trust you. Usually, when human beings are separated from one another, they tend to make all sorts of assumptions that are often times exaggerated or completely wrong. This can manifest itself in multiple ways within a long-distance relationship.
For instance, some people get irrationally possessive or suspicious of their partner. Some become neurotic and overly critical to the point that every small mistake is a potential end to the relationship.
All these irrational assumptions are unhelpful. It’s okay to be wary, but maintain some skepticism of your own feelings. When you feel like you can’t truly understand what’s going on in your relationship, don’t instantly think of the bad things. Simply talk to your partner about what you’re feeling and have an open discussion.
Make Future Plans
The minute you stop having milestones to look forward to, the harder it will be to maintain the optimism and enthusiasm in the relationship and about each other. Remember, if a relationship isn’t growing, then it’s dying.
You can look forward to something as simple as the next time you guys will see each other. You can plan a special candlelit dinner or a weekend trip to the nearest beach. If you and your partner are engaged, talk about your wedding plans regularly. You can both plan for your big day even if you guys are physically apart by gathering inspiration from websites such as https://www.sparkweddings.com/ or Pinterest.
Remember, for a long-distance relationship to work out, love is not enough. You both need to have mutual interests, shared values, and similar life visions. Not only should there be a shared vision of a possible future for the both of you together, you must constantly feel like you’re both working towards that vision. It starts with the steps above, but it should end on the both of you having a shared vision of a Happily Ever After together.
