For the first part of this two-part series, I had H (the boyfriend) come over and help me out and give you some tips on surviving a long distance relationship. H and I spend every summer (~2 months) about 800 miles apart. You can read part one here. How do I live without this stellar human being? Read on.
Send letters and care packages. It's really special to have something tangible with you that you know your boyfriend or girlfriend has touched and put together. Letters are cheap and always fun to get. Care packages can be cheap too--fill it up with little things that remind you of them wherever you are. Encourage them to send you one too!
Be intentional about communicating. I work a lot during the summer and because of that, H and I don't find a lot of time to talk. But you've got to show your boyfriend that they still deserve your time. I'll call H whenever I can--on the walk home from work, or sometimes when I get off my shift at midnight. Yes, I'm exhausted at that point, but it's worth it to be the time into our relationship.
Send letters and care packages. It's really special to have something tangible with you that you know your boyfriend or girlfriend has touched and put together. Letters are cheap and always fun to get. Care packages can be cheap too--fill it up with little things that remind you of them wherever you are. Encourage them to send you one too!
Be really honest. Really really really honest. When you're not face to face, it's really easy to misunderstand things or not notice how the other person is feeling. It may feel tough, but it's best to be honest about how you're feeling about things. If you're angry, don't push it down and let it boil up--deal with it. If you're in a bad mood, don't just be grumpy--admit you're in a bad mood. When I'm in a funk, I always tell H and he'll send me pictures of cute animals or bad jokes or funny internet articles until I can cheer up a little.
Trust each other. This one sometimes seems really tough to do, but it will make both of you infinitely more happy with the relationship. I try to let H do pretty much whatever he wants as long as it doesn't hurt him or us. Hopefully, you're with someone who makes trusting easy but sometimes you might not be. Don't be controlling and set rules for each other--you need to trust your boyfriend that he'll be honorable.
Are you in a long distance relationship? How did you make it work?
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I was in an LDR for almost 2 years and it can be really tough at times - we send each other fun snail mail and care packages too and it was so fun to know something is coming in the mail. Plus just keeping communication running is always good and makes you feel more connected! We also tried to have fun skype dates as in like we both rent the same movie, we send each other virtual fun things like messages in a bottle just fun little things that kept us smiling during the day!
ReplyDeleteOh those are cute ideas! We're only apart for two months each year so it's really not too bad in comparison to two years. And you're right, I always love knowing there's something in the mail! I literally check the post office every few hours if I expect something from him. xx
ReplyDeleteI have done long distance before & am about to do it again. It's really hard but it is so worth it in the end. Your tips are so great and right on point. I am really glad you are doing this because some people thing its to hard.
ReplyDeletexo. Kailagh
When you're in a good relationship, it's not too bad. It's not fun, but it's doable. The first summer I was away, we had been only dating for a couple months and that was a little rough but now that we've been dating longer we trust each other so well that it's hardly an issue.
ReplyDeleteOh you're great! Thanks for posting this, they will definitely come in handy.
ReplyDeleteWell thank you! Glad I could help.
ReplyDelete