How to Make Long Distance Relationships Work
For most of us, going away to college is probably the first time we are leaving home for an extended period of time. And this means saying goodbye, albeit temporarily, to places and people who formed an important part of our lives. Sometimes this involves breaking away from a high school sweetheart, a move that is synonymous with tears and promises to stay in touch and visit often no matter what. While we’ve heard it being said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, there’s also the fact that for some of us, when it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. So if you’re going away to college leaving behind a significant other, you have to go the extra mile if you want to make this relationship work.
- Stay in touch: This is one cardinal rule that must not be broken if you want to make any relationship work, especially one that has to stand the test of distance. Use all the means at your disposal to keep in touch with your loved one – phone calls may be expensive, but email and other forms of online communication are cost effective and make staying in touch easy. When you’re limited by distance, you need to overcome this boundary by staying in touch.
- Understand that long-distance relationships are hard: You may think that it’s easy to maintain and sustain a relationship even though you and your partner are far away from each other, but the reality is that takes a lot of determination, dedication and commitment to making a long distance relationship work. So be prepared to put in that extra effort and don’t resent your partner’s demands on your time because it takes time to adjust to the new situation.
- Don’t succumb to distractions: College offers a host of distractions, not the least of which is that you are bound to meet other people who may interest you. While you may want to explore these opportunities, it’s up to you to decide if your high school sweetheart is worth losing in the bargain. It’s a good test of character though, because by resisting temptation, you prove that you have the character and mettle to go through life without jumping from one option to another without fully realizing the value of what you have right now.
- Include your significant other in your life: When you move to college and your sweetheart is left behind, it’s easier for you to cope. It’s the one who stays back who finds it hard to manage. So understand that they may tend to cling and make every effort to include them in your life. Talk about all that you do in college, and include even the most insignificant details. Get them to visit once in a while so that they feel connected to you even though you’re far apart.
- Learn to let go if necessary: This may be the most difficult part of any relationship, but there may come a time when it may be necessary to break things off because one or both of you are not comfortable any longer. If your partner is the one who wants to leave, learn to let go without becoming too needy or demanding. It will be hard, but the sooner you let go, the sooner you can begin to move on and start living your life. It may seem like it at the time, but a breakup is not the end of the world. Time is the biggest healer of any wound, so give yourself time to grieve, and then, learn to move on.
This guest post is written by Angela Peterson, who writes on the topic of online psychology degrees. She can be reached by email at: [email protected]
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rofl where’d you get those photos from? They look familiar, maybe it’s just another clonazepam trip I’m having, I don’t know teehee