Surviving A Distant Romance
With the World Wide Web all over society more and more people are meeting their soul mate online. As long distance relationships form, airports will be full of tears and stamp makers will be living the high life. Whether you have been separated by circumstances or met online to begin with, a long distance relationship is not for the weak hearted. The distance takes time to get used to.
Commitment. Before entering a long distance relationship you need to do as much reflecting as you feel you need. If this person does not satisfy you in everyway you need them to the relationship is likely worthless. The feeling of knowing you cannot be without that special someone is the greatest feeling in the world, if you don’t have that the relationship is doomed from the start. Commitment from one to another is an absolute must. Love is the most powerful emotion a person has, and that emotion will surely tell you whether this person really means to world to you or not.
Trust. Questioning your relationship based on something someone did is a key component of why long distance relationships. Understanding that each of you has a separate life apart from each other is the first step to accepting the relationship while establishing trust. Your significant other will have night where they will go out with the opposite sex, attend wild parties, and go to all night concerts, accept it. If you don’t have the trust in your partner to be faithful to you and to love you no matter what goes on in their own life your relationship will not succeed.
Compromise. Times will always be tough. Seeing each other often is tough for most couples with busy schedules. Compromise your meetings, and don’t overreact when your partner cannot come out to visit on a specified day. They do love you, sometimes opportunities just aren’t there for them to see you, and it is no reason to get upset. Compromise on issues that arise is another key to the success that beats the distance. If both of you are in love you will both strive to be with each other, and both will find ways to make the trips to see each other work.
Communication. Everyday both of you need to find time to “spend” with each other. Whether that means agreeing on a time to call everyday or talking online, you need to communicate everyday. I would not advice going overboard as everyone likes some alone time, but talking two or three times a day makes you feel like you are there. Hearing your partner’s voice really helps cope with the distance and saying “I love you” everyday is an absolute must to remind your significant other you are a real couple, and you are together. Sending greeting cards, e-mails, and gifts once in a while helps keep the sentimental side of your partner happy as well.
Involvement. Get involved in activities, get a job, meet with friends often, and just pay attention to your other part of life. I promise that you will feel miserable if you make believe your soul mate is your entire life. They are a “mate”, that means there are two parts. Your own life is the other. A job will keep you busy, not to mention give you extra money to fly to see your partner more often. Some club or activity will help you do things that you enjoy, interact with people with similar interests, and keep your mind of the loneliness as well.
Long distance relationships are strenuous, trying, and extremely painful at times. There are moments when you breakdown and want to give up because not having the person there to touch, kiss, and hold you can cause tremendous heartaches. Staying strong and following the steps I have listed above will help you in more ways then you can imagine. However, the thing that helps you the most is meeting that person in the airport. When you look into their eyes, tears fall down your cheeks and you suddenly remember what you are doing all this for. This is the greatest person in the world and you love them so much you’ll go through thick and thin to stay together. Surviving the wait is tough, but when you hold them in your arms once again after all the time you have been apart you’ll realize that all the pain and suffering is worth it. They are the one.
