5 tips for keeping a long-distance romance alive

Being a few months into the school year, you may find being separated from your partner a little challenging, particularly if you two have busy lives and live far apart. You must take care of your relationship and yourself simultaneously. In a long-distance relationship, whether apart for a few days, a few weeks, or several months, separation anxiety can result in unpleasant emotions, feelings, and actions that can harm your physical and mental health and your social and academic life. However, as someone in a happy and healthy long-distance relationship can offer five tips that have helped my partner and me throughout our relationship. These tips have proven effective for us and may do the same for you.

Disclaimer: Since every relationship is unique, what worked for my partner and I may not necessarily work for yours. However, you may utilize parts and pieces of advice and incorporate what works best into your relationship!

1. Communicate

The following two suggestions may appear contradictory at first but stick with me. Being open and honest with your partner will help you learn to create excellent communication, which is essential in a long-distance relationship. For relationships to succeed, meaningful conversations about feelings, schedules, and expectations for how frequently you want to speak during the day, how long you want to chat, when you want to talk, etc. However, to discuss our daily schedule, my partner and I will text each other in the morning, but after that, we strive to limit our daily interactions and allow each other space for alone time. Instead, we will send similar memes, Tik Toks, and posts to show that we were thinking of one another. We have more to talk about and are less prone to boredom when we have our daily catch-up video conversation at night.

2. Virtual dates

Try to maintain a romantic relationship by engaging in activities together. The fact that you and your partner are apart does not necessarily mean that there are fewer things you can do together; sometimes, it only calls for more creativity and planning, demonstrating more effort and commitment to the relationship. The relationship may benefit by planning and setting out a day to go on a date. Examples include cooking meals together over FaceTime, having food delivered to one another and sharing a meal, watching TV shows together on a third-party website like Netflix Party, playing interactive games online like Truth or Dare, iMessage games, Dovey Dates, painting, or even coming up with your creative ideas.

3. Love Languages

Since different individuals show their love and care differently, it is essential to talk about love languages in relationships since your partner cannot feel loved if your language differs from theirs. The five recognized love languages are words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving/ giving presents, spending time with one another, and establishing physical contact. Even if physical touch may be difficult, the other four love languages are easy to practice. Spending quality time with your partner through planned dates, catch-up discussions, or even study dates is a wonderful way to show your love. Sending a surprise package is a lovely way to show your lover that you care. Moreover, cute messages sent throughout the day can go a long way to easing separation anxiety if their love language is words of affirmation. Useful tools for showing attention are the apps Tuned and Note It. Another option to perform acts of service is to assist someone online with a difficult task if you can. People receive and offer love in various ways, which is why talking about love languages is crucial.

4. Meet-ups

Talking about meeting up, how frequently you want to meet, and budgeting for the two of you are crucial subjects because long-distance relationships are expensive. Meeting up is one of the most important ways to keep the relationship alive. When you and your partner schedule specific dates to meet up, you both have something to look forward to, which lessens the pain of being away and gives you hope since you can organize activities for when you are together physically, etc. Aside from anticipating that initial encounter, I find that the first embrace makes everything worthwhile once you are back in each other's arms.

5. Self-Care + Positive Aspects

Long distance is difficult, but remember that distance does not last forever, but your love for each other does. By concentrating on the benefits of long-distance relationships, such as having more time to work on self-improvement, spending more time with friends and family, being inventive in finding new ways to love each other, and travelling to new places where your partner lives, your love for your partner will deepen and grow. Returning to suggestion number one, you and your partner can grow independently by avoiding excessive communication. There will be days that are tougher than others; I know that is true for me. On those days, it is crucial to keep the relationship's positive aspects in mind, speak with your partner, put self-care first, and rely on the people you love.

Long-distance relationships are unique, and I wish all readers the best. I hope these ideas and approaches were as beneficial to you as they were to me. Just remember that distance means so little when someone means so much!