How to Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship
Many couples struggle to maintain a long-distance relationship. While it can be hard, it doesn’t have to be.
- Understand what a long-distance relationship is and what it isn’t.
- Realise that you will not have much physical intimacy as long as you are in a long-distance relationship.
- Learn to communicate honestly and openly with your long-distance partner.
- Share your thoughts and feelings with your long-distance partner.
- Take time to listen to your partner’s feelings and needs.
- Set goals for your long-distance relationship.
- Create a timeline to reach these goals.
- Agree on how long your long-distance relationship will last and make a plan to be together.
Many couples in long-distance relationships try to maintain their relationship as long as possible regardless of whether they are happy or not. If you find yourself in a long-distance relationship that brings you more hardship than joy, you should reassess it with your long-distance partner.
In this article, we’ll talk about what it takes to maintain a healthy and happy long-distance relationship.
How to Maintain a New Long-Distance Relationship
To maintain a new long-distance relationship with someone you just met online isn’t very difficult. You’ll need a few months to get to know each other anyway. All you need to do during this time is to keep an open mind about people you meet online and do your best to learn as much about them as you can.
If you are in a long-distance relationship with someone you’ve never met, give them the benefit of the doubt, but also be mindful that not everything they say is how it is. It’s not until you meet the person in real life that you’ll know what it’s like being with them.
To maintain a new long-distance relationship, get to know someone by asking them their values, beliefs, and interests. If you get on well together and if you have a lot in common, then after some time it is a good idea that you meet somewhere on holiday.
If you still like each other after you’ve been together for a few days, then you can consider meeting up a few more times. And if you find that your long-distance relationship is becoming more serious, you can start making a plan for moving in together for a couple of months to see what it’s like and if you will be happy together.
Is It Possible to Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship
It’s possible to maintain a long-distance relationship. But first, you should ask yourself if it’s worth it.
If you are in a long-distance relationship for a long time, and you’re no longer enjoying it, and seeing it as a chore, staying in such a relationship may not be worth it for you.
On the other hand, if you are enjoying your long-distance relationship, and you are feeling connected to your long-distance partner, then it would be quite easy for you to maintain your long-distance relationship.
One thing you have to do to maintain your long-distance relationship is to make sure that each of you has personal lives that are fun, interesting, and exciting.
If all you have is each other and you can’t even be together, then it’s time for you to reassess your life and your relationship.
Is It Hard to Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship
Long-distance relationships shouldn’t be hard to maintain. However, many couples approach it as a regular relationship, and this makes it a lot harder.
A long-distance relationship isn’t meant to last a long time. A romantic relationship implies having physical intimacy, which is a long-distance relationship isn’t an option. At least not regularly.
When couples try to maintain a long-distance relationship for a long period, they end up feeling stressed and sexually frustrated.
With time, this frustration grows, turning a loving long-distance relationship into the one that is a chore.
If you find yourself having to make a lot of effort to maintain your long-distance relationship, try to talk to your long-distance partner about your personal lives and your long-distance relationship as a whole.
How Long Can You Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship
You can maintain a long-distance relationship for a long time. Some couples make it last for years. But, the real question is whether or not you’re happy to be in such a relationship for a long period.
A romantic long-distance relationship means that you are expecting physical intimacy, but you can’t have it all that much.
So, while it can be fine to maintain your long-distance relationship for a few months, if you try to maintain it for too long, it will become a struggle.
If your relationship becomes a struggle, then you should re-evaluate whether it’s worth it for you to continue this relationship or is it better to end it.
What to Do to Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship
To maintain a long-distance relationship you need to have trust and open communication. Without trust, your doubts and insecurities will become overwhelming and at some point may destroy your long-distance relationship.
Effective communication is the key to making any relationship work. In the long-distance relationship, it’s even more important that you have clear and open communication with your long-distance partner.
In a regular relationship, when you talk to your partner, you can see their facial expression, body language, and the change in behaviour. All these things can help you understand what your partner is thinking and feeling at the time.
In the long-distance relationship, you mainly communicate via text messages, phone calls, and video calls.
Your main means of communication are written and verbal. While you can see your partners face during video calls, you still don’t get the same feeling that you do when talking to them face-to-face.
That’s why you must take care when writing text messages. Text messages usually have a lot of abbreviations, misspellings, and lack of punctuation. This makes them really hard to read and even harder to understand.
Lack of understanding can lead to unnecessary confusion and arguments. Once this issue has come up, it is also a lot harder to fix them when your partner is not next to you.
How to Maintain Communication in a Long-Distance Relationship
In a long-distance relationship you have three main ways to communicate with your long-distance partner:
- Video calls
- Phone calls
- Text messages
Sometimes you might want to send a handwritten letter to make your message more personal. Also, now and then you will visit each other, so you will get a chance to talk face-to-face.
The first thing you should do in a long-distance relationship is to agree on your preference for the means and the frequency of your communication. One of the problems couples face in a long-distance relationship is either excessive communication or lack of communication.
The reason long-distance partners tend to send too many messages or stay on the phone for hours is to compensate for the lack of physical closeness. To maintain your long-distance relationship, you need to feel connected. To do that you need to maintain an emotional connection.
Maintaining an emotional connection with your partner needs good and clear communication.
In a long-distance relationship, it’s important to keep communication interesting. The only way you can do that is if you have an interest in your personal life. So, if you find yourself talking too much or sending too many messages, you should spend less time doing it and more time living your life.
This will help you maintain a healthy long-distance relationship as well as giving you an opportunity to do something fun with your life, which you can then share with your long-distance partner.
A lack of communication is another problem in a long-distance relationship. If your long-distance partner communicates less than before it could be because they are busy or it can also be a sign that distance is growing between you both.
If you feel that there is a lack of communication in your long-distance relationship, you should talk to your partner about it. Avoid making conclusions and assumptions before you talk to your partner and find out what really is going on.
How to Maintain Trust in a Long-Distance Relationship
Trust is the foundation of any relationship. A regular relationship you see your partner every day, you can touch them, hold them, kiss them, talk to them, and look into their eyes.
When it comes to long-distance relationships, you don’t see your long-distance partner as often. So, you need more trust to maintain a relationship long-distance.
Some partners tend to constantly ask their long-distance partner where they are, what they do, and who they are with. This can be a sign of lack of trust and will make it harder to maintain a healthy and loving long-distance relationship.
For partners to be honest in the long-distance relationship, they need to know that it’s okay for them to share their thoughts, feelings, needs, and preferences. It’s important that both long-distance partners know that their self-expression is always welcome and is never judged.
The fear of being judged and misunderstood is what prompts people to keep secrets. For example, if you feel that the lack of physical intimacy with your long-distance partner is becoming too much for you, you should say so to your partner.
After you talk about it with your partner, you may decide to move in together. On the opposite, if moving in together isn’t an option, maybe you could consider an open long-distance relationship, or have a temporary break.
Whatever your circumstances, to maintain trust in a long-distance relationship, you have to be open and honest with your partner. Once you share what’s on your mind with your long-distance partner, together you can make a decision that works for both of you.
Compromises, sacrifices, and secrets don’t contribute to making your long-distance relationship work. Sooner or later, the trust issues will build up into a bigger problem and cause suffering. If there are issues, you should address them straight away using effective communication.
How to Maintain a Healthy Long-Distance Relationship
To have a healthy long-distance relationship you need to maintain trust through open and clear communication.
A healthy long-distance relationship requires each of you to have a healthy personal life. When you’re in a long-distance relationship, you have a lot of time to spend on doing things that you’re interested in.
Couples in a regular relationship spend a lot of time together, leaving them very little time to work on their personal goals. A long-distance relationship is an opportunity to have a balance between working on your personal life goals as well as creating a healthy long-distance relationship with someone you love.
A healthy long-distance relationship is the one that brings joy instead of suffering. A healthy relationship shouldn’t be hard work; it should be fun and exciting. If you find that your long-distance relationship becomes hard, discuss it with your long-distance partner and assess both of your personal and relationship goals.
To help you along, you can help each other create a plan to achieve your personal goals and make a joint plan to maintain a healthy long-distance relationship.
It’s hard to maintain a healthy long-distance relationship for a long time. In a romantic relationship, you should have physical intimacy, which is limited in a long-distance relationship.
So, while it’s fairly simple to maintain a healthy long-distance relationship for a short time, if you don’t have an end date for when you will get together, so no later you will run into trouble with your relationship.
How to Maintain a Good Long-Distance Relationship
To maintain a good long-distance relationship, first, you have to agree with your long-distance partner what it means having a good relationship for you.
Also, is it enough for your long-distance relationship to be just good? Wouldn’t you want to have a long-distance relationship that is fun, interesting, and exciting?
How to Maintain a Happy Long-Distance Relationship
To maintain a happy long-distance relationship you need to have a happy individual life. If one of you is suffering, a happy relationship is next to impossible.
Relationships are created by people to share the love and help each other overcome difficult times and circumstances.
If your long-distance relationship brings you sadness and frustration, then you should fix the issues or end your long-distance relationship.
How to Maintain a Positive Long-Distance Relationship
- When you talk to your long-distance partner, discuss positive things that are happening in your life.
- Avoid talking about things that you cannot control, like your inability to be together.
- Make a plan for when you can visit each other and set a date for moving in together.
- Avoid long conversations to become boring.
- Communicate for shorter periods, but make your conversations interesting and fun.
- Do something exciting in your life so that you can share it with your long-distance partner.
How to Maintain Excitement in a Long-Distance Relationship
The way to maintain excitement in your long-distance relationship is by having exciting lives, that you can share during your conversations.
Arrange for your visits to be in different places. This way, you can explore the world together even if you live separately.
If you find yourselves being frustrated, talk about it, and find a way to bring excitement into your long-distance relationship.
Don’t let your long-distance relationship become boring, and don’t see it as a chore.
How to Maintain Physical Intimacy in a Long-Distance Relationship
Physical intimacy is one of the hardest things to maintain in a long-distance relationship. It’s also a common reason why couples break up their long-distance relationships.
You can be physically intimate during your visit, and you can do something sexy during video calls. But, if your long-distance relationship lasts for a long time and you feel deprived of physical intimacy, you should arrange to see each other more often, moving together, or end your relationship.
One way you can feel connected in a long-distance relationship is by maintaining emotional intimacy. You can do it by sharing your feelings when you talk to each other and discuss intimate aspects of your life and your relationship.
To maintain physical intimacy in a long-distance relationship, you could send each other written letters, care packages, and gifts. Giving something physical and tangible from your long-distance partner will help you feel their presence even if they are away.
How to Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship in College
Maintaining a long-distance relationship in college can be challenging and unnecessary. College is a place to meet new people, have new relationships, and explore your social world.
When you go to college you should be free to do what you want to do, to say yes to some things and no to others. This is how you grow and develop as a person.
If you are trying to maintain a long-distance relationship in college, you might feel like it’s holding you back from doing the things you’d like to do with people you’d like to do them with. In doing so, you could miss out on opportunities to make friends, have different relationships, and have fun with your peers.
If you are in a serious relationship, you can always try to make a long-distance relationship work in college. You just have to be honest with yourself and with your partner if your feelings change. One option is to have an open long-distance relationship and another option is to break it up temporarily while you are in college.
Don’t miss out on things because you feel obliged to talk to your long-distance partner. This isn’t good for you, and it’s not good for your relationship.
It’s better, to be honest, and upfront with your long-distance partner about your needs, rather than sacrifice them just to find yourself cheating and keeping it a secret.
How to Maintain a Long-Distance Marriage Relationship
Maintaining a long-distance marriage is one of the most challenging situations in long-distance relationships. Marriage implies commitment and a serious relationship.
But, whatever is true for any long-distance relationship, is also true for a long-distance marriage. Marriage is a romantic relationship that involves physical intimacy.
And the truth of a long-distance relationship is that you won’t be getting as much physical intimacy as you would in a regular relationship.
There are many reasons why married couples end up having a long-distance relationship. But, whatever your circumstances, try to plan for your long-distance relationship, so that the distance doesn’t last longer than a few months.
Key to Maintaining a Long-Distance Relationship
The key to maintaining a long-distance relationship is open and honest communication. Do you have a healthy relationship to be able to discuss your feelings and needs with your long-distance partner?
You should be able to do so without fear of being judged. And you shouldn’t judge your partner either and welcome anything they have to say.
Feelings change all the time, and a long-distance relationship is no exception. When you are away from your partner, it’s hard to predict how the long-distance will affect your relationship.
That’s why it’s important that you talk about things that you’re happy with and those that bother you as soon as they come up.
Tips to Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship
- Set goals for your long-distance relationship.
- Agree on the end date for your long-distance relationship and make a plan to get there.
- Arrange dates for seeing each other as often as you can.
- Communicate with each other regularly, but not too much.
- Embrace the opportunity of having a lot of time for yourself while you are in a long-distance relationship.
- Make your individual lives fun and interesting, so you can share exciting things that happen in your life with your long-distance partner during your conversations.
- Have a timeline for your long-distance relationship.
Conclusion
To maintain a healthy long-distance relationship, you should understand that it’s different from regular relationships. If you have good communication with your long-distance partner, you can discuss how long-distance affect your relationship.
It would be best if you share your feelings, doubts, and frustrations regularly. If something is on your mind, share it with your long-distance partner straight away. If you don’t, sad thoughts and doubts can grow and become an issue that may destroy your relationship.
If your long-distance relationship is working well, it won’t be hard to maintain it for a few months. Long-distance relationships aren’t meant to last for a long time because of the lack of physical intimacy that is needed for a full romantic experience.
Every long-distance relationship needs a plan on communication, how long the distance in the relationship will last, and an end date when you will move in together.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to maintain a long-distance relationship with your partner?
To maintain a long-distance relationship with your partner, agree on how long your long, the distance in your relationship will last and when you will be together.
How can we maintain a long-distance relationship?
You can maintain a long-distance relationship by having regular conversations and seeing each other as often as you can.
How can I maintain a healthy long-distance relationship?
To maintain a healthy long-distance relationship with your partner, you have to trust each other and be open to discussing anything that comes to your mind.
