Whether you met the love of your life through a dating app over quarantine, or are a long-married couple forced to spend some time apart, long-distance relationships — well, they just plain suck. At least, that’s certainly what it feels like.
Relationships are tricky enough. Long-distance relationships are exceptionally hard. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, a long-distance relationship of any type can, in fact, improve your partnership. You just have to know a few tricks to make it work to your advantage. Not sure what we mean?
Here are a few tips to help your long-distance relationship not only survive, but thrive!
#1 – Give Your Partner a Romantic Surprise
One really easy and helpful tip to make your long-distance relationship work is to give your partner a romantic surprise. Whether that’s a surprise trip to see them or a thoughtful gift delivered, it will brighten their day and make them think of you – guaranteed.
For a super cute and romantic gift, you could even send them cute stuffed animals so they have something to cuddle while you can’t be there. A stuffed animal care package with a personalised note from yours truly might be just what the doctor ordered to boost their mood and that of the relationship.
#2 – Plan a Reunion to Look Forward to
Between visits to see each other, it can feel like time passes slowly. Time apart can test even the healthiest long-distance relationships, but when you keep your sights on the horizon, things become a little less challenging. In other words, planning your reunion gives you something to look forward to.
While a trip away is a nice treat every now and then, it can sometimes mean we are looking at our partners through rose-coloured (holiday) glasses. So instead, visit each other at home and you’ll get a better sense of how your other half lives and experience your LDR partner in their own environment.
#3 – Establish Time to Connect (But Be Spontaneous, Too!)
Long-distance relationships can be successful across entire countries or even halfway around the globe. But one key to making it last is communication and connection.
Establish and agree on a time of day when you can put aside work and other distractions so that you can be present with one another. Texts are a thoughtful thing to do, as are bedtime good night calls, but hearing each other’s voices and seeing each other’s faces through video chat can keep each person in the present, which is far more intimate.
On the other side of the spectrum, a spontaneous call to say ‘hello’ and that you miss them is equally wonderful. Checking in on your long-distance partner should be a priority. You can’t come home and ask how their day was, so you have to show attentiveness in other ways. Just remember to be mindful of any time zone differences.
#4 – Let the Situation Help You Learn More About Your Partner
As mentioned, communication is a huge part of making a long-distance relationship work. So while you hold a date night through Zoom or just chat as you fall asleep, talk about more than your day or week. Talk about deeper things like your past, your hopes for the future (especially one together) and more.
Not sure where to start to deepen the bond? There are many couple’s questionnaires available designed to do just that. For example, the famous 36 questions will reveal more about your partner than you think you know, triggering more meaningful and even existential conversations. It also shows each other’s vulnerabilities and makes for a creative date night.
#5 – Keep the Intimacy Alive
Long-distance relationships can feel stagnant in one very obvious way. If you are feeling short of physical attention, then try to connect on an intimate level. Sending flirty emojis during the day (you know the ones) is just a start.
If you are hesitant to be intimate virtually with your partner, don’t be! Just learn a few tips from the experts and don’t be shy. Flirty texts could be the key to connecting with your long-distance partner on another level and let’s face it – sexuality is a vital part of any relationship.
#6 – Find Gratitude in the Distance
While apart, it can be hard to see your long-distance relationship as a good thing. It’s a challenge, for sure. However, wallowing in sadness and worrying about when you will see each other again isn’t helpful. What is useful is finding gratitude in the distance and respecting why it’s necessary.
Not every long-distance relationship starts out as online dating. Sometimes, couples who have spent countless years together must move away for temporary work or school or help care for a family member. In these cases, it’s important not to add judgment or guilt.
If you’re in a new LDR, it’s also important not to pressure your partner into moving closer. Instead, accept the cards that have been dealt, be respectful and find gratitude.
So how can you find gratitude, you might be asking? For starters, having a long-distance relationship now might make you more appreciative of your partner in the future. It means that when you find a way to be together on a permanent basis, you won’t take them for granted. It also builds your patience immensely, and in the end, your relationship will be stronger for it all.
Try Our Long-Distance Relationship Tips Yourself
Making an LDR work is no easy task, it takes tons of patience and commitment, to say the least. But we hope that these six tips help steer your long-distance relationship in the right direction! Through healthy communication and connectivity (and some grand romantic gestures from afar), your relationship will do more than simply survive, it will thrive!
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