Effects of long distance on relationships and how to cope with it
Romantic relationships between two people are very complex even when everything seems ideal. If two people have all the right elements to engage in a relationship, they are still going to deal with many issues. If there are extraordinary challenges such as long distance, this becomes even more difficult.
Today, we are going to be talking about the effects of long distance relationships and how to cope with this.
Defining the strength of a relationship
It’s impossible to talk about a broad scenario when it comes to long distance, so we are going to analyze this from 3 different angles that are likely to happen. All of them are going to create a different sense of commitment in the two people involved in a relationship.
They are as follows:
• Relationships that are less than six months old
• Relationships with several years living together
• Relationships that involve having 1 or more children .
Relationships that are less than six months old
Some people may think that being in a six month old relationship is a big deal.
With that said, it is very likely that switching to a long distance relationship would be extremely difficult for a relationship that is just getting started. Most people who are in short relationships and need to move are likely to be unable to handle that distance and in most cases they won’t be willing to do this.
Relationships with several years living together.
When two people have been together for several years and they have been living together, this becomes a different situation. There is much more emotional involvement, and they are more likely to want to work through the challenge of living in different cities or countries.
Relationships that involve having one or more children.
This is a completely different situation and most people are going to feel compelled to work things out eve if there is a sea of distance between them. When a couple has children, the way they make decisions is completely different.
How to cope with long distance relationships?
We have defined some of the most common types of relationships, the following advice is going to be extremely useful in the process of helping you handle your long distance relationship.
1. Make sure you decide the boundaries
Being that you will be in a long distance situation, you both need to make sure that you can set the boundaries of what the other person can do. You both need to feel that there are some limits as you are living apart. The idea is not to be controlling, but to have a conversation that helps you decide what kind of lifestyle will be better to ensure that your relationship will remain strong.
A good example is that you could both avoid going to clubs and getting drunk. This is the kind of situation that can lead to cheating, and if you truly care about your partner, you will avoid anything of that sort.
2. Have a clear goal in mind
This is extremely important because it’s important for you both to define how long you want to be apart. There are many reasons why couples have to be separated. Sometimes it is due to a job, other times it is due to studies, but regardless of the reason, you need to be able to speak to your partner and define how long you plan to be apart.
3. Have video conversations at least once a day if possible
We are not saying that if you skip one day this is going to be an issue. What this means is that you should do your best to have daily video meetings with your partner. Even if it is just for 15 minutes each day. This is great because it helps you stay close and see each other even if you are at a distance.
It is up to you what you want to do with those video sessions and there are plenty of ways to get closer to your partner by doing this.
4. Play video games together
If you both enjoy video games, you can start playing them together online when you have spare time. This is also a great way to spend some time together and have fun in the process. While you are not physically there with your partner, you are still engaged in an activity together.
5. Visit each other as often as possible
If the distance between you allows you to go on a road trip of a few hours, this is going to be easier. With that said, sometimes a plane ticket is going to be required to visit your partner. The main thing is to make sure that you can take the time to schedule a trip to see your partner.
A good way to go about this is to ensure that you can visit at least once every six months if you are very far away, and once a month if you are living a road trip away. If you are unable to do this, you should reinforce those video meetings and make them as frequent as possible.
6. Don’t become paranoid
It is easy to start wondering what your partner is doing if they are not answering your texts. This can turn into a very slippery slope and you could end up getting ideas in your head of things that are not actually happening.
7. Make sure to give a personal item to your partner
Giving your partner an item that they can have with them at all times is a great way to keep that bond strong.
8. Honesty is the best policy
You need to be completely honest with your partner if there is anything that you feel is changing about the relationship. This is going to be extremely important because you don’t want to be living a lie and pretending that everything is ok. While the purpose of this article is to help you cope with long distance, it is also important to maintain complete honesty.
