Making Your Long Distance Relationship Work
by Rebecca Walton

Going off to college soon? Going away for business? Going overseas? Leaving behind that special someone? Long distance relationships are hard on any couple, but don’t break up yet, because there are ways to make it work. It will require a lot of love and a lot of time and commitment, but if you want to make it work you can. Try using these few simple tips to keep your long distance relationship going.

Make Time
Make sure that you make room in your new life for your partner. Just because you do not see him or her everyday does not mean you forget that they exist. Make sure you visit one another as often as possible. Once a month would be the best, although sometimes that is not possible. When he or she comes and visits make sure your attention is fully on your partner. Don’t try and make lots of plans, this is the time to focus on your relationship, nothing else. Make sure your partner knows how happy you are to see him or her, otherwise they may begin to question if you should still be together, or if you have begun to grow apart

Communication
Making time and communication go hand in hand. No matter how busy your day might get make sure you set aside a large period of time to talk to your partner. If you blow off that time once it will only get worse. Try to focus on talking on the phone, talking over instant messenger or through text messages can cause your relationship to become disengaged. While talking online you can easily become distracted, and you really need to be focus on what you or your partner is talking about.
It is important to remember to tell details about your day. It may not have seemed exciting to you, but if you don’t talk about details your partner will begin to feel that he or she is no longer a part of your life, make sure your partner knows that he or she is!
Remember that there are lots of new ways to communicate. Webcams, digital cameras, those are ways to really stay connected with your partner. Show him or her where your living, who your friends are, and what you have been up to. This gives your partner a way to really see into your new life.

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder…But Also Makes it Question…
Long distance relationships can sometimes start out as a positive thing for a relationship. When it first starts you will really miss your partner and focus on all the great things that you miss about him or her. Overtime that feeling can fade though, because you are becoming more accustomed to the relationship. Soon you may even begin comparing him or her to other members of the opposite sex and you will begin to focus on everything your partner does wrong. It is important to remember that it is ok to be attracted to other people; it does not mean that you are no longer in love with your partner. Instead of comparing your partner try and focus on why you picked him or her in the first place. It’s ok to go out and have fun, its even ok to flirt sometimes; you know where to draw the line. Remember that your partner will be doing the same thing though; he or she will be attracted to members of the opposite sex. You have to be able to trust your partner and know that he or she loves you and just because someone thinks another person is hot does not mean that your partner does not love you.

The most important thing in a long distance relationship is that you stay committed and do not begin to take one another for granted. Long distance relationships take a great deal of love, but also a great deal of time and energy. If you are willing to put all you have into making it work you can, you just have to want it bad enough.