You can’t control who you fall in love with. As the saying goes, “The heart wants what the heart wants,” and sometimes, that object of affection lives an ocean away. Whether your long distance relationship is only a few hours or thousands of miles, living away from your significant other is a challenge. Many people who have dated for years find themselves suddenly struggling to keep their relationship afloat after someone relocates for work or school.
Maybe you and your high school sweetheart are going to colleges in different states; perhaps you fell in love online and have yet to meet your significant other face-to-face. Whatever the situation, a long distance relationship is tough but not impossible. They require extra commitment to ensure that communication happens consistently. Follow these suggestions to keep the romance alive in your long distance relationship.
Send Care Packages
Physical tokens of your partner can make a world of difference. A hoodie with their scent on it, your favorite book or other trinkets help add a sense of presence to your relationship. You can even send some home-made snacks or other food items. Anything that is going to remind your loved one that you are thinking of them would work. The goal here is that they would in turn think of you any time they use that item or eat that food. Just make a visit to the Pensacola post office or your local mail center to find out more about the shipping rates, and even to get the materials needed in order to send care packages filled with little gifts and treats to your SO.
You can also find a subscription box you both enjoy and look forward to unboxing your monthly hauls together.
Stay Connected With Apps
The rise of the internet has made long-distance relationships a reality for many. There are plenty of apps for long distance couples that help love feel a bit closer to home. Social media is an obvious example of these apps, but even games can allow you to play online together. Use technology to your advantage and you can make the physical distance feel a lot less far away.
Have a Date Night
Schedule regular date nights to share dinner or watch a movie over video chat. Catch up on the latest season of “Buzzfeed Unsolved” or just scroll through Netflix together. Having regular dates to look forward to every week will keep your relationship exciting and make it feel more consistent and dependable.
Just because your significant other doesn’t live nearby doesn’t mean they aren’t an important part of your life. You may feel tempted to keep your relationship to yourself, bu it’s important to integrate your partner into your “real” life as much as possible.
It may sometimes feel like you’re living a double-life with your love’s only connection to you being a phone or computer. Long distance relationships are so heavily rooted online in 2019 that it’s natural for people to feel disconnected from their partner in their day-to-day lives.
In order to feel closer together, it’s important that you make your relationship public. Your friends and family should know you aren’t single, and you should share funny stories or gush about your partner to your closest confidants. Change your profile picture to one of the two of you when you finally meet and be sure to publicly acknowledge your anniversary or other important events in your relationship (so long as you’re comfortable.)
When others around you also acknowledge your partner’s existence, your relationship will feel much more natural and integrated into your life. This helps narrow the gap between your exchanges with your partner and your regular life.
Closing the Distance
In its own way, an LDR can actually bring you and your partner closer together. Instead of thinking about all the things you two miss out on by not living nearby, consider the joy you feel for the times you are together. All the little moments like holding each other’s hand, going out to eat and getting to sleep next to one another in the same bed take on a new meaning when you spend so much time apart.