Few types of relationships are more challenging than long distance. For many reasons, some couples end up in a long-distance relationship, either on purpose or by accident. Sometimes people meet and live hundreds or thousands of miles apart, but still manage to fall in love. Other times, people are married or dating and end up having to live in separate states due to a job transfer or other life change. No matter what the reason, having so many miles between you and the one you love can be very difficult to sustain in the long run.
Many long-distance relationships end because the partners simply cannot continue to live so far apart. Many couples who undergo a major job transfer where one spouse does not move, end up in divorce court before the relationship is really over.
It becomes very easy to live the single lifestyle when your partner just isn’t there for weeks or months. It can be very difficult to readjust when they arrive in the city because you are so used to doing a lot of things alone. Furthermore, the question of fidelity seems to always be pending when the couple does not live in the same physical area. The fact is that it is very easy to cheat when your spouse or partner lives in a completely different state.
One way to make a long distance relationship easier is to establish a set of ground rules. In other words, how often will you talk, how open will you be about your schedule, and will you be dating or hanging out with other people? This is going to be a question on your mind no matter what you do, so it makes sense to go ahead and put it out there so you can have a conversation about it.
Another way to make the miles seem less far away is to use technology like Skype, video chats and text messages. Being able to talk in real time while seeing your partner’s face on the screen can at least make it seem like you’re not that far away.
The most important part of making a long distance relationship work is seeing each other as often as possible. That could mean cutting your budget so you have extra money for travel. If you can’t see each other often, chances are the relationship won’t work out in the long run.
