Being in a relationship with someone you love can be a beautiful thing. As beautiful as it can be, the pursuits of life can throw you or your partner to a location that’s not favorable to you, and then this can be a huge challenge in your relationship.
Have you gotten used to seeing your partner every day, because you probably live or work in the same location, and you are filled with so much uncertainty on what the future holds for the both of you because the “love of your life” just got transferred out of your state, or had to relocate for other reasons? Whatever your case is, you should understand that distance can only be a barrier if you choose to allow it in your relationship.
The truth is long-distance relationships are usually filled with ups and downs and it takes a lot of commitment from both partners to make it work.
Now, that life circumstance has placed you in a long-distance “ship” with your partner, do you let it go? No!! You need to be determined to make it work. The first thing, you will need to register in your subconscious is the fact there will be a lot of changes accompanied by several challenges. Let’s take a look at some of them:
Challenges of a long-distance relationship
Every relationship generally has its challenge, but certain challenges are peculiar to long-distance relationships, and they include:
- Communication: Great communication is the life wire of every relationship, but distance can make you not understand what your partner wants or expresses. A worst-case scenario is when he/she means no harm in a test and you decode harm in the text. This can birth a lot of insecurities, so get ready for this.
- Loneliness: This is common in every long-distance relationship because your partner doesn’t get to see you frequently. So prepare for it!!
- Time: The distance can make the both of you forget to spend time with each other. Since you don’t see each other, you may not see a need to spend time together. Don’t allow this to kill your relationship!!
- Trust issues: Your partner doesn’t see you, neither do you see him, so your mind will play a lot of games on your relationship in almost every unclear scenario. Put this to heart also!!
- Jealousy: This challenge can so mess up your relationship simply because you don’t live in the same location. Your partner begins to feel jealous if you are spending too much time with someone else, even if it is just a neutral friend so don’t be surprised if you begin to experience something like this.
These challenges are not to frighten you but to aid you in managing your long-distance relationship. Now that you know the challenges you might face in the relationship, let me show you how you can conquer them and make your long-distance relationship thrive.
Managing your long-distance relationship
Here’s a detailed guide on how to make that long-distance relationship of yours work:
Communicate Properly: This will involve expressing your feelings either of fear, loneliness, doubts, worries to your partner genuinely. Discussing plans and tasks on a daily. ( This will help your partner know what you are doing at a particular time to prevent intrusion and insecurities). Registering displeasures and complaints where and when necessary: Anything you won’t be able to tolerate in the long run, don’t manage it in the beginning.
Call, chat, text, just ensure that there are no communication gaps.
Intentionally spend time together: Stop giving me that questioning look, because you can spend time together without seeing each other. I will show you how: You can use your weekends or free time to play games online, get involved in a question and answer section, see a movie together via Skype. Technology has made things easy, take advantage of it and keep your partner close even though you guys are apart.
Set boundaries: These will help both of you avoid unnecessary drama. Let your partner know that spending too much time with friends and colleagues always will not help your relationship. Spell out your expectations and establish principles that will keep you both together in the relationship.
Be Honest: Being honest will save you from dealing with a lot of insecurities. Endeavor to share details of every incident with your partner, to avoid breach of trust. If you don’t tell him the truth and he/she finds out from a friend, then a lot of things will go wrong. Let your honesty help you and your partner be confident about the relationship.
Exchange gifts: Please ensure that you both send gifts to each other regularly. Your gifts can help fill up the vacuum caused by your absence. So gift your partner a duvet, wristwatch, frame, flower, etc let it be something that he/she makes contact with daily.
Fix a Date: Try your best to ensure that you both meet once a month or thrice a year. This will do a whole lot of magic in your relationship. It will help you know if distance has taken the emotional attachment away or if it’s still intact. So create time to see, play and discuss!!
Above all, have a positive mindset always, because this distance won’t always be there. Love requires sacrifice, so roll up your sleeves and get to work, because your long-distance relationship can work!!
