10 Ideas For Couples To Make Long-Distance Relationships Work
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If there had to be the hardest form of a relationship, long-distance would be it. Very different from a regular same-city relationship, a long-distance one can test your patience and challenge your perception of what constitutes a normal and healthy relationship.
However, despite their difficulty, you can still make your long-distance relationship (LDR) work. Provided you are willing to go the extra mile! Figuratively, of course.
Here are 10 amazing ideas that will help you build a stronger and long-lasting long-distance relationship:
1. Give Yourself A Day Before Asking A Tough Question
In an LDR, negative thoughts and questions can creep up in your mind pretty quickly. And while you should definitely share them with your partner, give yourself a little bit of time before you jump the gun. This will help you understand whether the thought or question was fleeting or nagging. If it nags still, talk to your partner.
2. Save Very Serious Conversations For When You Meet
Doubts and fears are two things that are part and parcel of every LDR. But they can be overcome if you leave the toughest of quarrels and questions for a face-to-face session rather than an online one. Phone calls and texts can give rise to more misunderstanding, and hence, you should avoid serious topics till you’re together in person.
3. Learn And Adapt To Each Other’s Angry Moods
Everyone deals with stressful situations and conflicts differently, including your partner. This is why both of you should try to learn how the other one behaves in similar circumstances and adapt to each other’s patterns, so you can know how to tackle things better. Doing this will also help the two of you in resolving disagreements effectively.
4. Get Creative To Show You Care
Since you can’t just show up at your partner’s door and surprise them, you have to come up with innovative ways to make them feel special. Keep giving them small surprises from time to time such as a handwritten heartfelt letter, a flower and/or food deliveries when they’re down or even a long-distance date!
5. Give Each Other Virtual Space
Plenty of real space exists between the two of you but to make your LDR work, you have to give each other some virtual space as well. Which means understanding and not expecting your partner to instantaneously reply to your texts or pick up your calls. Both of you need to accept that you have work, personal interests, and several other unexpected things to take care of and can’t be constantly available. Set a time to chat or Skype each day so there’s no miscommunication.
6. Enjoy Alone Time Too
Remember you chose to be in a long-distance relationship despite knowing full well that the distance exists. So, don’t spend your time being sad about it. Instead, choose that time to indulge in productive activities and become more attractive to your partner. This will also give you plenty to talk about when you get on that phone call.
7. Do Some Things Together
We know that sounds impossible but you can still do it! First of all, figure out an activity that both of you enjoy quite a bit – it could be watching a movie, reading a book, jogging or even baking something together. Once you figure it out, do it together on the same day, at the same time, but in your own homes. Not only will it add to your conversations but it will even make you feel like you’re together.
8. Set A Fixed Talking Time Limit
In an LDR, all you can do is talk but you shouldn’t talk too much either. Excessive talking can make you run out of topics and even come across as an invasion of each other’s privacy, which is quite dangerous to be honest. The best way to strike a balance? Discuss with each other and ascertain how much talking both of you need to do in a day without annoying each other. And this should be for voice calls, not texts.
9. Increase Intimacy In Every Way Possible
Both of you need to come up with ways to increase the intimacy between you two. This doesn’t mean you simply focus on physical intimacy, you need to do the same for every other aspect of your daily life too. Take, for instance, you could video chat every day while carrying out mundane tasks in order to make each other a part of your lives.
10. Try To Understand The Jealousy
In an LDR, the most important thing is trusting each other or it can all fall apart pretty quickly. So, if you feel jealous, it is important to know the ‘why’ behind it. Is it a lack of trust or a lack of confidence? No matter what conclusion you draw, discuss this feeling with your partner carefully to get that confidence and trust.
Long-distance requires a little extra hard work. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, your relationship could even turn into marriage, where the distance would close forever.
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