Amidst the drudgery of finals week with paper deadlines and finals looming ever closer, I couldn’t help but fantasize about the relief I’ll feel once I write the last word on my Friday final and zip back home to a stress-free summer. But these thoughts were interrupted by the realization that leaving school would mean leaving my boyfriend for the summer. Though college is a matchmaking platform for hot Hawaiians to meet chill Chicagoans, when the fateful holidays come around to grant us some respite, it also means many newly discovered lovebirds must fly their separate ways. Long distance feels inevitable and could be terrifying for those who just met, but there are tricks to the trade to ensure your relationship stays afloat.
- Contact with each other every day: This is the golden rule to long distance dating. Even if you’re too busy to Skype or chat on the phone, drop the other person a text or a line via email. This is because if you put it off for a day, you might feel that it’s okay to do it again, and eventually the time lapsed will increase. Better safe than sorry.
- Keep your promises: Long distance means there’s more room for misunderstanding and less time for apology. If you tell him you’ll be online at 10am, make sure you’re there. Pencil it in your routine for the day if it helps. Keeping your promises is a way to show you still care and value the limited time you get to talk to each other.
- Smile like you mean it: When you can’t be there to give him a kiss, or hit him playfully, a lot of the emotion will have to be relayed through words and expressions. This is especially tough for guys who aren’t comfortable with verbalizing their feelings, but with long distance relationships, it’s important to reassure the other person that you care, even if it means coming out of your comfort zone.
- Keep the romance alive: Just because you’re separated by an inconvenient distance doesn’t mean you can slack off on the romantic gestures. If anything, it becomes more important to celebrate important days like anniversaries and birthdays because you do not have the daily interactions to show that you care. If it’s approaching your half a year mark, send him a gift ahead of time, or watch a movie with him simultaneously on Skype. No excuses.
But ultimately, the secret to maintaining a long distance relationship is effort. As long as you and your significant other makes it clear that you want this to work, there’s no reason why physical distance could trump connected hearts.