Tips For Making Long Distance Relationships Work

You ask most people and they'll tell you, "Long distance relationships never work!" There's no questioning that the odds are against you in doing long distance. Still, when you've met someone who you really care about, maybe even love, it's hard to just throw in the towel because "the odds are against you". I believe that it is possible to make a long distance relationship work. I'm not saying it's going to easy. It's going to be hard. But, what relationship isn't hard, right? If you find someone you love, isn't it worth a try? I think so, too. Here is relationship advice that will help you have the very best chance at making a long distance relationship work. 1. DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF VIDEO CHATTING It's very important that you are regularly spending time communicating with each other. However, talking on the phone all the time can start to get old. A great tool for the long distance couple is video chatting. There's just something very important about being able to look into one another's eyes or see the smile on each other's faces that cannot be replaced. Skype, Facetime and Google+ all offer video chat completely free! Anybody attempting long distance absolutely "must" take advantage of this! 2. DO NOT RELY ON TEXT BASED COMMUNICATION This, again, revolves around communication which is so key to healthy relationships. There is going to be the temptation to rely on text based communications in your long distance relationship. This is a huge mistake. In fact, this is true even for close-proximity relationships. Instant messaging and texting are notorious for misunderstandings and miscommunication. Couples who try to use these mediums for meaningful conversations are just asking for trouble. Texting and instant messaging are better used for touching base and maybe a little playful flirting. Keep the important stuff for your phone calls, or even better, your video chats. 3. DO VISITS AS FREQUENTLY AS REALISTICALLY POSSIBLE The reality is, no matter how good you are at keeping up with each other through your video chats, phone calls and other means, nothing can replace actually seeing each other. You need to be able to spend some time together somehow, however few and far between those times might be. It's hard to say how frequently you need to plan visits because every circumstance is different. Let's just say, you need to visit one another as frequently as you possibly can. Don't be unrealistic. Don't shirk your responsibilities just to try and be together all the time. Don't use your whole life's savings to see each other every week. But, as much as is realistically possible, you need to spend some actual time together - side by side, face to face. 4. DO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHEN LONG DISTANCE WILL END I am an idealist, and I do believe that love and the right person are worth trying long distance for. However, the reality is that a relationship that is long distance" indefinitely" is most likely doomed. There needs to be a general timetable in any long distance relationship. Is he going to move back after he graduates? Is she going to relocate in 2 years? Sometimes life happens, and circumstances change, but there still needs to be some level expectation. This is only fair to the both of you. Some people are willing to wait 4 years. Others, are not. The point though is that with a general understanding of how long the relationship will be long distance, it gives both parties an opportunity to decide with eyes wide open, whether they are willing to try, or not.

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