Are Long-Distance Relationships Worth It?

Long-distance relationships are pretty common, and they are more challenging than you might think.

Long-distance relationships are pretty common, and they are more challenging than you might think.

If you’ve ever been in a position where you had to choose between continuing your relationship or just ending it, then you know how difficult it can be. Especially because you may not even know that you have a choice to make. All you know is that there’s this nagging feeling you can’t get rid of.

Here are some signs to help you see if a serious, heart-to-heart conversation is in order:

They keep missing your online dates.

This can happen from time to time. Most couples in LDRs are from different time zones. Others may be in hectic work environments, so it’s understandable that your partner may miss some dates.

But when it happens more often than not, when you call them and they always seem to be busy with something else or they don’t answer at all, then something is up.

Your conversations have changed.

It could be that you no longer talk to each other as often as you used to. Granted, the distance is part of that reason. But, like your online dates, communication is even more important in LDRs. That means that you don’t have to schedule dates to be able to talk to each other. It should be as often as reason would allow.

If you still talk as frequently, but either one of you has been cutting the conversations short, that, too, is cause for concern.

You’re making plans and they’re not a part of it.

It’s healthy to have a life of your own outside of your relationship. Our romantic connections aren’t the only ones that we should cherish, so it’s only natural that we also spend time with family and friends. It’s also natural that we would want to have time for ourselves.

But pay attention to when you or your partner begin to see each other as just one more name in a list of people to hang out with.

Life happens, and in an LDR, neither of you may be aware that you’re both starting to live separate lives.

Your news is just news.

You have great news, but when you tell your partner, they don’t seem particularly excited for you. Now, it could be that they’re just tired. That time zone difference could really ruin the mood.

But check yourself. Has this been happening more and more lately? Be honest, too. When was the last time you were excited for your partner when they had good news?

LDRs have a reputation for being doomed from the start, but this is far from being an absolute. In fact, many LDRs thrive because the couples are mindful of what the relationship means to them individually. Despite the challenges, they continually believe that it’s worth it and act as they believe.

Even the signs above aren’t reasons to end your LDR. Instead, they’re signs that you and your partner have a choice to make. That choice could be that you let each other go. Or it could be that you should make more of an effort to make things work.

Long-distance relationships may be more challenging, but they’re no less worth your time. Like everything else in life that you’ll face, you have to continually ask yourself if your heart is still in it. More often than not, that’s all the answer you need.