In the not-so-old days, long-distance couples had no choice but to rely on snail mail and expensive calls placed with tethered landlines to stay in touch with one another. Today, things are much different. Now, long-distance partners have social media, video chat, and much more to catch up with each other as often as they want. While that\u2019s true, people who are romantically linked but living far apart can still benefit from some long-distance relationship advice in many cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the most recent data about LDR couples, about 14 million couples or 28 million people living in the United States are in a long-distance relationship. Approximately 10 percent of all marriages in the U.S. start off as LDRs. It\u2019s estimated that almost 75 percent of all college couples claim they were in a long-distance relationship at some point in their collegiate careers. With the stats just mentioned being pre-pandemic numbers, it\u2019s likely the current stats regarding LDRs are even higher these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With so many people having experience with LDRs, it\u2019s only natural that couples often research long-distance relationship tips. If you\u2019re in a long-distance relationship, you\u2019ve come to the right place for some advice about how you can make your relationship work in the short and long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maintaining an LDR can be difficult under the best of circumstances, but it can be even harder if you and your partner live in different time zones, you have opposing work or school schedules, or you simply prefer to check-in at different times of the day. Given those challenges, it\u2019s vital that you and your love interest schedule time to communicate with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key to establishing a pattern of communication is to choose a time and means of communicating that are mutually convenient and satisfying. If you don\u2019t invest time in making mutually agreeable arrangements, it can increase the chances that you and your partner will break up if one of you starts to feel like the communication between the two of you is neither convenient nor supportive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you might be tempted to check-in with your partner during your spare time, you should avoid reaching out too often. If you contact your significant other too much, it can breed mistrust because your partner may not think you feel they\u2019re faithful or committed to your relationship. By reaching out at all hours of the day and night, you\u2019ll come across as clingy and possessive, and talking to you may become a burden rather than a pleasure for your partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a long-distance relationship to work for both parties, the individuals involved must set personal boundaries. Depending on the nature of your relationship, not seeing other people might be the first boundary you set. From there, you may want to set other limitations, such as your significant other not calling you during hours when you\u2019re normally sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it\u2019s long-distance or an up-close situation, a relationship without boundaries is like a game with no rules. You want to win with your partner and setting boundaries will help the two of you to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even after you establish a communication schedule and some boundaries, you need to remain flexible. You may have to change the time and date for a phone call if your boss suddenly needs you to work late, for example. If your partner is going through a difficult time, you may want to stretch or temporarily suspend a boundary and allow him to call, video chat, or visit more often than you would otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although it might seem counterintuitive, research shows that a lot of long-distance partners enjoy equal or higher levels of trust, devotion, and satisfaction compared to couples who are geographically close to each other. You can increase the chances that you\u2019ll be happy in your long-distance relationship if you make it a point to do things with your significant other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What else can you do with your partner when the two of you are physically apart? You can watch a movie together using a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Max and discuss the film after it ends. Here are some additional ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People in long-distance relationships sometimes discover they have more free time compared to involved individuals who live near one another. You should use that spare time to invest in yourself, get to know yourself better, and appreciate your unique self. By doing so, you\u2019ll position yourself to focus on and understand your partner better when you\u2019re together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on the relationship expert you ask, you might be told to act like you\u2019re single during your downtime. While you might be eager to heed that advice, you need to exercise caution and avoid doing things that might make your partner uncomfortable or suspicious. If you\u2019re tempted to do something that your partner might not be comfortable with, discuss it with him beforehand so you can reassure your boyfriend your intentions are pure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modern technology makes it a breeze to talk to your loved one in various ways. You can have face-to-face conversations using Facetime or Skype or you can place a traditional phone call to catch up. However you choose to communicate with your SO, make sure you share details about your daily experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you chat with your partner, don\u2019t settle for generalizations like you went to dinner and had fun. Make the event come alive for your girlfriend by describing the restaurant, telling her about the food you ate, identifying the people you dined with, and explaining how you felt about the meal and the eatery\u2019s ambiance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bela Gandhi, the founder of Smart Dating Academy, claims It\u2019s important for you and your partner to have a long-range plan to end the distance between the two of you at some point if you\u2019re long-distance relationship is going to last over the long haul. With that in mind, you should prioritize coming up with a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Developing a plan to end the distance between you and your long-distance love isn\u2019t enough, however. You need to revisit that plan and tweak it whenever necessary as your circumstances change. Including an end date for being apart will help you and your partner stay committed to meeting that deadline and it will help keep frustration over being separated at bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though technology allows distanced couples to keep up with each other\u2019s activities in real-time, you shouldn\u2019t rely on technology exclusively to sustain your long-distance relationship. Whether they talk to a clinical psychologist, a dating coach, or a relationship expert, some long-distance couples ask how long they can go without seeing their partner. According to dating expert and relationship coach Rami Fu, couples shouldn\u2019t spend more than three months away from each other if they can avoid it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Visiting your partner on occasion at least will help you both to remember why you fell in love to begin with. It will also allow each of you to see how the other has grown and changed. While sexting and phone sex are fun, they\u2019re no comparison for the good nights of physical sex you can have when you visit your SO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you know you\u2019re going to spend a period of time away from your partner, make sure you leave some reminders behind. Do you have a favorite sweater that your partner loves seeing you in? Wear it the day before your departure and lay it on your partner\u2019s pillow the next day before you head out the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you\u2019re gone, spritz a \u201cthinking of you\u201d card with your familiar cologne or perfume and send it to your partner via snail mail. Want to up the ante even more? Navigate to Amazon and look through the care packages the retailer has on its site. Pick one that\u2019s sexy or loaded with your partner\u2019s favorite things and have the retail giant ship it directly to your love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In general, distanced couples don\u2019t have as many opportunities to communicate as couples located close together. For this reason, you should do your best to prioritize infusing every conversation you share with your partner with meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of reviewing the minutiae of your day in mind-numbing detail, tell your SO about the moments that were most special to you. Have you started listening to a new podcast? Let your love know why you chose that one and invite him to listen to the broadcast with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t let what you think are the boring details of your day be a mystery to your boyfriend. Share enough for your boyfriend to be in your life even though he\u2019s far away. Sharing meaningful details about the people and activities that are part of your daily life will help keep you and your partner close even though you\u2019re not physically so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although long-distance relationships certainly have their challenges, they also have a powerful set of positives. For starters, an LDR can help you and your love appreciate each other more. Being apart can also inspire you to make more of the time you do get to spend with your partner. Similarly, putting some distance between you and your partner can deepen your fondness for one another and strengthen your relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When they live a distance away from them, some people start to idealize their partners. If you want your long-distance relationship to last, you should avoid doing that. Research shows that couples with too much idealization in their romantic relationships are more likely to break up due to an unstable bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you only focus on your SO\u2019s positive attributes and behaviors, you might end up being severely disappointed when the two of you reunite. Rather than creating a fictional perfect image of your partner, keep things in perspective and paint a realistic mental picture. Remember, you fell in love with your imperfect SO just the way she is, so how bad can a realistic mental image of her really be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, you read that right. Flirting with others may benefit your long-distance relationship as long as you don\u2019t let it escalate and your partner doesn\u2019t feel threatened. Some of the most satisfied long-distance lovers use extra-relational flirting to keep the romance going in their own relationships. If your SO is okay with it, you two might be able to do the same successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping up with your partner\u2019s activities on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter is a good idea if you want things to stay fresh between the two of you. Like your partner\u2019s pictures and posts. Tag your SO in a post that shows you\u2019re thinking about him. Take a page out of Ryan Reynolds\u2019 playbook and troll your SO online in a hilarious way he won\u2019t forget any time soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People involved in a long-distance relationship sometimes wonder if absence makes the heart grow fonder or if they\u2019re out of sight, out of mind as the options relate to their SO. To avoid making yourself nuts, it\u2019s best to believe the former rather than fret about the latter option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if you\u2019re worried about your relationship status, you should refrain from spying on your lover. Too many relationships, both long-distance and close proximity ones, are ruined when a suspicious partner spies on their SO. If you feel the need to physically spy on your partner, stalk your lover online, or look through their phone or email without permission, you may want to reconsider your relationship as there\u2019s a huge difference between checking in and checking up on your loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a minimum, you should talk to your SO about your feelings of insecurity or worry. Maintaining an open line of communication can help put your fears to bed and it can identify the things that made you insecure in the first place. While the conversation might be awkward, it can help you and your SO to recognize behaviors and communication patterns the two of you can change so that you\u2019re both more confident in your relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may seem insignificant, but one of the simplest long-distance relationship tips you\u2019ll get is for you and your SO to give each other pet names. Doing so can bring you two closer together because only the two of you will know about them. That is, the pet names will be a secret until you inevitably use them in front of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s something meaningful and refreshingly familiar about moments when your partner uses a special name reserved just for you. When you hear your boyfriend call you by your pet name, it will warm your heart and remind you how much you mean to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most intimate things about being in a committed relationship is going to bed together. Of course, that\u2019s not physically possible when you\u2019re in a long-distance relationship, but you can create a facsimile of a shared nighttime routine using a platform like Zoom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choose a bedtime your partner agrees with and reach out to her close to that time every night. Wearing your pajamas and engaging in the same or similar bedtime activities can make it seem like the two of you are really going to bed together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Bennett is a certified counselor and an expert when it comes to relationships. Bennett advises people in long-distance relationships to tell others about their relationships, especially the people they\u2019re the closest to. The relationship specialist also warns people that keeping a long-distance partner a secret or thinking of them as an afterthought makes it less likely that their existing romantic relationship will last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can be surprisingly easy to fall into patterns that combine to make it feel like you\u2019re in a relationship rut when you\u2019re separated from your SO. You can prevent that from happening by surprising your partner once in a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you do the bedtime video thing, get a new pair of goofy PJs that are sure to make your lover laugh. Are you going to Skype with your partner? Get a mask and greet him with a song playing in the background as you hold a handwritten sign that dares him to guess who\u2019s really singing the lyrics. Make sure your sign promises you\u2019ll deliver on something sexy if he guesses the right singer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What else can you do to surprise your SO? Here are some ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LDRs can absolutely last if you’re willing to put in the effort it takes to maintain one. Be sure to follow long-distance relationship advice<\/a> from experts but, above all, listen to each other.<\/p> <\/div> Maintaining an LDR can be tough, but it’s possible if you work at it. Follow proven long-distance relationship advice<\/a> and celebrate time together with meaningful activities like Adventures From Scratch<\/a><\/em>.<\/p> <\/div> They say “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Don’t overdo it<\/a>! Allowing each other some space and respecting boundaries<\/a> is important. When you do talk, make the most of your time together!<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n Maintaining a LDR can be difficult under the best of circumstances. We’re offering long-distance relationship advice to help you to bond and communicate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":7283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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