Being a college student and maintaining a strong and healthy relationship is hard to do. In my experience with balancing school and a long distance relationship for over a year now, I have collected lots of helpful tips and tricks to help survive a long distance relationship. Here are my five tips to survive a long distance relationship in college…
1. Encourage Independence
When in a relationship you and your partner should stay in close contact, but not to the point of smothering each other. While it is great to talk, text, and even video chat with your significant other, it is healthy to allow space for other the priorities in one another’s lives. You both should give eachother time for one another to relax, hangout with friends, spend time with family, and so many other things.
2. Find a Strong Support System
In a long distance relationship you will miss your loved one plenty, but knowing you have people around you to lean on can make it more bearable. Family and friends are great examples of strong support systems. Along with having family and friends, there are so many school clubs around your campus where you can get involved as well as get to know other students. In my experience, the many wonderful dorm-mates on your floor may even be the best support system. All it takes is reaching out and connecting with the people around you. There is always one person willing to listen and help you through it all.
3. Video Chat Whenever You Get The Chance
We are very fortunate to live in an age of technology where we can be in constant and instant contact with one another. One major upside of this technologically advanced time is we have have so many ways such as: Facebook, Snapchat, and Skype, to video chat. Being able to see your beloved over video, even though it’s not in real life, can make the distance seem less. The frequent video chats can even help strengthen the bond you and your partner have.
4. Prioritize Communication
Communication in any sort of way is vital for maintaining any type of relationship, but is especially important for a long distance relationship. When there is a lack of communication in a long distance relationship it can lead to all sorts of issues. If there are even small understandings and a lack of communication, they can develop into much bigger arguments and potentially impact the relationship negatively. In my experience prioritizing communication not only helps keep the long distance relationship stay alive and well, but it also strengthens the trust between you and your significant other.
5. Plan Frequent Visits to See One Another
If there is chance you can see your partner, take it! However planning out your visits to see each other gives you both something to look forward to. Also not all visits need to be full day and/or nights. A visit can consist of just enough time to get lunch or even catch a movie together. In many cases, long distance relationship couples can only see each other every couple months, however, if you have the opportunity to see each other more often definitely take it!
Photos and gif courtesy of Tumblr