Romance is hard in the best of circumstances, but when you had hundreds of miles to separate couple, it can be tougher. Romance and relationships thrive on communication. Communication is even more crucial when those miles keep you apart. We crave human touch and when circumstances dictate that we have to be apart, it’s more important than ever to keep the contact up.
Sending emails, communicating through text messaging, talking in instant messages are all gifts of the technological age, but as close as they can bring people together – they are still a bit impersonal. Consider how wonderful it is to receive mail that isn’t a bill. Send bits of poetry, audiotapes of you singing or talking, puzzles, word games, or just long daily diary type entries.
These are all different types of ways to keep the contact between you and your partner. It’s fun to receive little gifts and to talk on the phone. Communication and contact are the only way to keep a relationship thriving. The distance can make it challenging, but it’s important to know that this is a challenge that can add closeness rather than rob it.
Keep your expectations clear and your trust in each other strong. If a call is missed or a message not responded to right away, remember that there’s likely a good reason for it. A good rule of thumb, in any relationship – long distance or otherwise – is to assume good intentions. By assuming good intentions, you can potentially avoid harmful misunderstandings that have no firm basis.
Think of the things you would like to receive or hear from your partner and do those. Pictures, poems, letters, phone calls, emails and even text messages, all work to keep the lines of communication open and strong. Nothing says “I love you” like ‘I love you.’