If you have a relationship with someone who lives far away, there are a few things you can do to nurture the relationship so it continues to bloom over time.
Here’s how to save a long distance relationship from falling apart.
How to Save a Long-Distance Relationship from Falling Apart
Statistics show there are 14 million individuals trying to maintain a long-distance relationship.
Nearly 4 million individuals are married and in a long-distance relationship. You may be in this relationship for many different reasons. Perhaps you are serving in the military, attending college or or employed at a job too beneficial to leave right now.
Unfortunately, the statistics also show that 40 percent of long-distance relationships end in a break up. This does not have to be the case in your relationship, however.
Keep reading to find out how you can save your long-distance relationship from falling apart.
Make Communication a Priority
Communication does not mean solely talking on the phone, although definitely one of the best ways to communicate in a long-distance relationship, not the only way.
The important thing is to find some way to communicate daily.
Try to create specific days for creative communication activities. Skype Saturdays, Facetime Fridays, Write a Letter Wednesdays, Text Tuesdays, and so on.
It is difficult for emotions to translate to partners in texts and letters, make sure you use emojis to help explain how you feel. Write about the feelings connected to your words.
The more you communicate, the more trust you can build, helping your long-distance relationship survive.
Long-Distance Flirting
Flirting is fun and you do not have to see someone in person to flirt. Send an ecard with a flirty message. Other ideas include reading a poem you wrote just for your partner, record a song or create a playlist with songs special to your relationship, or even send a care package.
Think of the things you would do to flirt as a couple and modify them to fit your long-distance relationship.
Have Fun Together
Just because you are living far apart, you can still find ways to have fun together. With the advancements of technology today, you can play online games together, watch movies together, even eat and drink together.
You can shop together online, allowing both of you to participate in making major decisions for your home or lifestyle.
You can invent your own games to play together, like scavenger hunts with rewards. You can make the games as intimate as you wish, but this should not be the premise of all your games.
Visit Your Partner
Sign up for airline rewards and get the emails that inform you of last-minute discounts or travel rewards. If you are only a few hours away, drive. However, you can make a trip to visit your partner happen, do it. With the many travel options available today, visiting your partner is achievable.
You and your partner can alternate trips if that helps. Or, you can both travel and meet up in a new environment, giving you an adventure each time. The point is to see each other in person so you can remind one another of how you feel when you are together.
Visiting should be equal, though, and not the responsibility of just one of you. This can lead to resentment, which does not keep a relationship together.
Create a Plan to Be Together
If neither of you have a plan on how to be together full-time, your relationship will remain long-distance indefinitely. This does not end well for many couples.
However, if you set goals that lead you to eventually being together every day, then you have something to look forward to. Goals give you the ability to see a light at the end of a tunnel, to see that the hard times are followed by joyous times, and that all the work you are doing is worth it.
Live Your Life to the Fullest
There may not be anything you can do to change the distance between you and your partner right now. There is something you can do to enhance your relationship at any stage. That is to live your life to the fullest.
Find ways to invest in you, so that you can be at your best for your partner. If you stay home all the time and focus on what your partner is doing, your thoughts may eventually turn negative. You may start to unfairly distrust your partner. You may even begin to create unnecessary drama in your relationship.
Instead, work on yourself by taking care of your mental and physical health. The happier you are, the more your partner will want to stay connected.
Get Relationship Counseling
Believe it or not, there are many licensed mental health therapists who have great experience working with couples in a long-distance relationship. They can even counsel you at the same time using technology like Skype or Facetime.
Do not be afraid to seek help. Counseling has proven to save many relationships, including long-distance ones.
Even if you think your long-distance relationship is going fine, counseling can help you prepare for the future, helping you adjust when the two of you are finally together again. It can also provide you with a confidential space where you can express your thoughts and feelings.
In conclusion, you can save your long-distance relationship from falling apart. Use these steps to help. In addition, if you partner gives you no reason to lose trust in them, then do not lose trust in them. It can be easy for some to doubt their partner’s actions when they are not in contact as much as they would like. Eventually, no matter what the partner does, it may be difficult to believe him or her.
Do not be this person.
Be the partner that expects good things from your relationship. Be positive and find ways to enjoy your relationship so you can be the statistic that shows long-distance relationships can work.