When most people hear about the term, “Long Distance Relationship”, their immediate response is to explain why an LDR usually means the final nail in every relationship’s coffin. For most people, this can be true. Maintaining a healthy relationship between miles of separation can be hard, so for the sake of those currently in (or about to begin) a long distance relationship, here are some tips and reasons to assure you that you aren’t crazy in love, just crazy about someone!
1. Mastering your time spent on Skype/Facetime: one of the essentials to any long distance relationship comes from your ability to stay in contact with one another. The most personable way to do this is via Skype. Being able to see your loved one’s face reminds you not only that you are talking to a person instead of constantly staying in touch through a screen, but also in that moment, you two are together again. Be sure to make each moment of your session count! Depending on the time zone difference, try to sit down and have a meal with each other. I know it seems incredibly silly at first to eat in front of a computer/phone screen, but moments like that you will cherish in the long run.
2. Making each time you hang out count: Since you don’t get to see them everyday, the times that you two do actually get together is time that cannot be wasted. Be sure to spend sometime outside of your room. Go for a walk, or out to a meal, or even a movie. Keeping your relationship as normal as possible is the best and most healthy way to make the relationship matter when you two are apart again.
3. For when the time comes…. Someone once said that if you stopped fighting with the person you loved, you stopped caring. In the case that you both actually start to fight, please please please remember to actually pick up the phone and call instead of relying on texting. It is literally the worst thing to try and have to decode the intentions behind each text, and more times than not continue the fight instead of solve it. Your ability to communicate with one another is essential for maintaining a relationship, whether or not you see each other everyday, or once every couple of months.
If you need any future ideas for dates, here are some websites that can help you plan a romantic evening no matter the distance apart!
http://dating.about.com/od/longdistancerelationships/a/ldrdateideas.htm
http://www.lovingfromadistance.com/thingsforldrcouplestodo.html