If anyone says distance is a barrier to a relationship, that is because they have not read this article to find out how to deal with long-distance relationship.
Should distance ever be a reason to forgo your feelings for someone? I’ll leave you to answer that, but I will tell you that it is possible if you know how to deal with a long-distance relationship.
Love should not be limited to our immediate environment. People find love in different places. It could be during a journey, at work, or an event event; even find love on social media platforms.
Technology has made a lot of things easier for us as humans. In the digital world, there are now several social media platforms that make communication easier and faster. It makes it easier for people to connect and communicate with people who are thousands of miles away from them.
One of the very first hindrances to long-distance travel would be a lack of communication, but that is no longer an issue because of how technology has provided solutions to this.
People from different states, regions, countries, and continents can now interact easily. Technology has been saving lives since its inception
Let’s consider some of the challenges of long-relationships, distance which will help us know how to deal with long-distance relationships.
Challenges Of A Long-Distance Relationship
Communication problem: One of the things that affects a long-distance relationship
Is inadequate communication. A long-distance relationship that has communication issues cannot work out well. One of the things that could cause this is the time zone difference.
Partners who live in countries with different time zones might find it hard to have consistent communication if they are not intentional and do not make plans for the best time to communicate with each other.
Trust Issues: One of the many reasons why many people do not want to consider a long-distance relationship is because of trust issues. If I may ask, how is distance a yardstick to measure trust?
People’s argument with the issue of trust in a long-distance relationship is that they are not aware of the things that their partners do since they do not get to see them often.
This will no longer be an issue by the time you are done reading how to deal with a long-distance relationship in this article.
Traveling Constraints: Partners who are in long-distance relationships may encounter some challenges with traveling, some of the challenges could be a lack of financial means to get a ticket to travel. Some people may even feel fatigued or exhausted from traveling.
Some people do not like traveling long distances; they get easily exhausted from doing that. It can be a challenge in a long-distance relationship
Prolonged Waiting Period: Another reason why people have problems with long-distance relationships is because they have to wait a long time to see their partner. Some people may get tired of having to wait and start developing fear of being apart in that relationship.
Undefined Relationship Goals: When there are no clearly defined goals for a relationship, this can lead to uncertainty. This may affect the relationship and make the partner see it as one without a future.
Lack of Common Interest: In a relationship, some people may find it hard to have common interests. This does not mean that their interests have to align in every area. There should be some common activities that they would both like to engage in together. This can be a problem in a long-distance relationship.
Having identified some of the problems of a long-distance relationship, let us find solutions to the problems that have been identified above.
How To Deal With A Long Distance Relationship
1. Open And Honest Communication
It may look like communication is given so much emphasis in this article, that is because communication is key to the success of any relationship, be it close or long distance.
However, there are different areas I will touch on about communication.
Your communication should not just be about asking about your partner’s wellbeing, it should be much more than that.
You have to be honest with your communication, do not hold back anything from your partner, and let them know everything going on with you as they do not always get to see you.
That is how to deal with long-distance relationships.
If you have a problem with the time zone and it may cause a hindrance to your communication you need to make a plan and work out the perfect time to discuss it with your partner.
Know each other’s schedules and when it is the perfect time to reach out to them and talk.
Also, you can make your communication a lot more interesting by engaging in video calls, through that, you get to see them and what they are up to.
2. Learn To Trust
How to deal with long-distance relationships is by building trust in a relationship.
Trust is very important in a long-distance relationship because you are emotionally attached to someone you do not get to see often. You only rely on and believe whatever they tell you or say to you.
You have two choices, you may either choose to believe the things they say or doubt it.
If they have never given you a reason to doubt them, why should you have disbelief in them?
You may be miles apart but that does not mean that you cannot build trust.
Anyone who struggles with trusting people should not think of building a relationship because love alone is not enough in a relationship.
3. Set Defined Goals For Your relationship
When you are in a long distance relationship, you should be able to set your relationship goals in clear terms. Let your partner know your intentions and plans for the relationship.
Knowing that they are in your plans gives them clarity about the relationship’s future.
Also, how to deal with a long distance relationship by defining your goals and discussing how long you will stay apart from each other before coming together. It is important to discuss this so that they can know that being apart is temporary.
This will enable you to make plans on how to bridge the distance to finally be together.
4. Know Your Partner’s Love Language
You must know your partner’s love language in a relationship. Knowing your partner’s love language helps you know how to best express your love to them.
For some, their love language can be gifting, for others, it might be helping and showing support; while others just constantly want to be told how much they are loved.
Showing your love through your partner’s love language will give them much assurance that they are loved, even though you are not close to them.
5. Engage in Common Activities
A long-distance relationship does not have to be boring, it can also be interesting and fun. Having common things to talk about strengthens a relationship because you are both sharing your experience on something that you can relate to.
You can choose a common movie to watch, choose a book that you can both read and share ideas on afterward, and you can even choose a recipe and both cook using the same recipe.
These are fun things to do that strengthen a relationship. The things I have stated above are how to deal with long-distance relationships.
6. Provide Emotional Support
You should be able to give emotional support to your partner by sharing their challenges. Try to show empathy and encourage them when they are emotionally downcast.
Show them that you care for them by also supporting their plans, If they need financial support and you have the means to provide it, you can also provide it. This gives partners in a long-distance relationship a sense of assurance.
7. Plan physical Visitation
A relationship is all about making sacrifices, If you are in a long-distance relationship, one of the sacrifices you have to make is that you have to make time for physical meetings where you can get to meet sometimes.
You may not get to see each other often but you can make it full of memories, You can plan to visit fun places together, and engage in fun activities that you both like. You can use this opportunity to introduce them to your family and friends.
When you do this, your partner is aware that you are serious about them because they can see your sacrifice.
Did I tell you to take plenty of pictures during your time together with your loved ones? You should, pictures are a great way of keeping memories and they will remind you of your time together with your loved ones.
Conclusion
It is true that communication has been emphasized so much in this article but do not make your partner feel uncomfortable with it.
The fact that you are not in the same area as your partner does not mean you should call them every hour. Your communication should not be a disturbance to their work or personal lives.
Some people might experience communication fatigue because they feel exhausted from constant communication.
I would have said let your partner breathe but anyway, that is just what you need to take into consideration as well.
A long-distance relationship works only if you know how to deal with long distance relationship by following all the steps I have stated in this article.
