Relationships

5 Tips to Make the Most of Your Long Distance Relationship

Long-distance relationships. We all know someone who’s been in one, or maybe you’ve been in one yourself. If you’re like me, you’re in one now. I can’t even tell you the amount of people that have told me horror stories or have just bluntly said, “They don’t work.” I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and this was one I certainly would never give up on. When my boyfriend told me after one month of dating that he was going to be moving for his job, I could’ve said, “Well, since we haven’t dated long, it would be easy to just part ways.” When you find someone worth the distance, you go with your gut—and let me tell you, my gut was right.

 

It’s not all fun and games, though. Of course no relationship is, but there are certain challenges that go along with long distance. How do we stay connected? Here are 5 tips to make the most of your LDR and hold it all together.

 

LDR Tip 1

I’ve found that communication is the most important thing in an LDR. Without it, you really will struggle to find a meaningful connection. I suggest finding a rhythm. If you’re a huge talker like I am, you might want to call on your way home from work and then FaceTime later as well. Other people are good with just texting throughout their day. There’s no right or wrong way to go about a LDR—just find what works for the both of you. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters.

Man sitting on his computer texting

LDR Tip 2

When you feel like all you ever do is talk, you might start to feel like you’re running out of things to talk about. I suggest conversation starters. They’ve been a huge help in my relationship. They not only aid in having more serious and heartfelt conversations, but they can also help things stay light and not so focused on the negatives of being apart. For conversation starters, check out our last post to start building your list of questions. 

LDR Tip 3

Plan your trips to see each other. I live for planning! I think it’s so fun to plan my trips with my boyfriend and research what we’ll do together, especially since it’s a place you may not know much about. Pinterest has great articles and blogs on where to eat and hang out in just about every city you can think of. The planning process helps you get to know each other better too. Figuring out each other’s likes and dislikes is all part of the fun!

Person planning travel with a map

LDR Tip 4

You can still watch your favorite shows together! FaceTime has made everything so much easier for long-distance relationships. (Thank you, Apple!) The best way to do it is to FaceTime each other on your phones and have the show playing on both of your laptops. Then, put headphones in so that you can both still speak to each other if you want to say something during the show. Now, it’s not quite the same as being together in person. There’s no cuddling unfortunately, but one plus side is that you don’t have to share your snacks!

Girl sitting on computer

LDR Tip 5

When you start getting discouraged, I suggest talking about it together. You will have days when you’re sad about the distance. That’s just the truth. Not being able to be with the person you love every day is not ideal, but when you love someone, nothing should get in your way. Don’t feel bad for saying, “You know what? I’m really sad today that we aren’t together.” You’re each other’s strength in this. That’s what makes you truly stronger, because you’re experiencing it together, and you know that it won’t always be this way. So, my advice is to enjoy the journey! I think being in an LDR is special and creates a bond between you and your significant other like nothing else will. It creates strength, communication skills, and a deeper love for that person.

 

At the end of the day, relationships are about being 100% in and being in an LDR creates another level of commitment. It also reveals to you a lot about the person you’re with. I got lucky, that’s for sure! I’m in an LDR with a complete gem of a human.

 

Be encouraged, friends! Eventually you’ll be in one place together again and hopefully when that happens, it’ll be for forever.

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