Dating Tips: 5 Keys To Making A Long Distance Relationship Work For You
By: Omar Cook
A long distance relationship is one of the hardest relationships to be in, but in this day and age where millennials are chasing careers and opportunities, it gets pretty difficult to remain in one location for a long period of time. You may have met someone that you really liked and built up a relationship with but life forced some distance to come in between you guys. Tough huh? So what happens to the relationship now that you guys aren’t seeing each other everyday?
Long distance relationships aren’t for everyone, but if you’re really into the person you’ve been dating and you see a future with them, you obviously want it to continue to work. I personally do a lot of traveling from one location to the next for different career opportunities so it becomes difficult to maintain a relationship in a central location. Over time, I have picked a few key things that I see as essential to making a long distance relationship work.
It’s not easy, and it takes two people who are on the same page mentally and want the same things to keep the relationship going. You also have to have a good idea of who you are as an individual and what exactly it is you’re looking for in a relationship. If you see the person you’re dating as your perfect match and you’re willing to sacrifice a physical relationship for a period of time, well a long distance relationship can work for you! I want all of you to continue your perfect love stories with a peace of mind, so here it is, the 5 keys to making a long distance relationship work for you!
5 Keys To Making A Long Distance Relationship Work For You
Communication
Communication in any relationship is a must have, but it’s imperative that your communication in a long distance relationship is on point. Instead of a relationship where you can mend things physically (or appear to), have make up sex, or go out on a date, you’re forced to actually talk things out. Being in a long distance relationship and actually seeing it through can actually be beneficial for you in the long run because you and your partner will have developed superior communication skills. If you and your partner are in disagreement on something, you have to be able to talk to each other in a way that’s still loving and respectful, but gets your point across at the same time. The last thing you want to do is escalate a verbal disagreement over the phone or facetime and nothing is really getting solved or heard which usually ends up with one partner just hanging up the phone. If you’re going to survive any long distance situation, you have to be willing to become a master communicator and be able to express yourself and open up from a distance.
Compromise, Understanding, and Support
I put all three of these under one category because they really tie into each other. Being in a long distance relationship means that you both have agreed to support each others goals and career aspirations from afar. You both are understanding of what each other is trying to accomplish and you continue to push that person toward their goals. If you’re with someone from a distance, that means you truly believe in them because in reality, you could be entertaining other people that are actually in your area, but you see this person as the person you truly want to be with. You have to be willing to compromise a physical relationship on a daily basis with this person, and other traditional things that a couple does like regular dates, or just spending time with each other. For your long distance relationship to work, you have to be your partner’s biggest cheerleader and love them from a distance. Your partner wants to know that you’re down for them and that you support their goals and dreams. Why be with someone you don’t believe in?
Trust
This may be the hardest part of a long distance relationship and this can be a deciding factor on how far the relationship goes. Trusting a person that’s around you all the time is a task itself, so doing it from a distance can be difficult. You may have thoughts about what that person is doing when they’re not talking to you or who they’re talking to. These are all normal thoughts and you’re not crazy for thinking them, but being able to control your thoughts and be at peace knowing that your partner is doing right by you is key. Trust and communication go hand in hand and you should be able to talk to each other about things that may be bothering you, but in a respectful way that’s not in an accusing manner. At the end of the day, whether you see this person everyday, or you see them once a month, you can never stop a person from doing what they truly want to do anyways so thinking positive and giving your partner the trust they deserve is what is needed. You have made the conscious decision to be with this person, so trust yourself that you have made that right decision to be with this person.
Planned Visits
Because you don’t have the luxury of seeing each other on a regular basis, you have to schedule out planned visits. Whether that’s once or twice a month or whatever is best for you, planning visits to see each other will give you guys something to look forward to. You’re still in a relationship so there still is an obligation to see each other. You might have to budget a little differently to save up for flights but it will be worth it once you see your partner after an extended amount of time. Do not wait too long to see each other unless you absolutely have to, and be consistent with the visits. This is where compromise comes in as well, because both of you have to be financially invested into seeing each other regularly and understanding if there may be a delay in seeing each other. Keep the good energy going between you guys by making it a priority to see your partner.
Plan For The Future
If you’re in a long distance relationship, i’m guessing the relationship is pretty serious because why would you date someone from afar that you have no plans on being with for the long run? For long distance to really work, you have be with someone who you may see as a potential soulmate. Put together some timelines for certain things to happen, which can include a time that you may want to move together in the same area, engagements, etc. Let each other know that you’re here for the long run with a plan. A long distance relationship should be for a temporary time period and not long term, but both of you have to be on the same page about your timelines for the relationship to work.
I hope these keys that I laid out were helpful for you and if you would like to add more to the conversation, comment below!
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