Loving From A Distance: Make Your Long Distance Relationship Work!
A fact of life which can’t be avoided is we can’t help who we fall for romantically. Whether it’s down to chemistry, shared interests or plain physical attraction, it is often our hormones that draw us toward one particular individual in social situations where they are rarely alone.
But what if that special person happens to live some distance away? This can happen if you meet women online, or perhaps sparks flew during a holiday abroad. Are the logistics of keeping in touch just too demanding – do you really have to grit your teeth and try forgetting they ever existed? Or are there ways to preserve your connection? Here are some pieces of advice about making your long-distance relationship work.
Distance is no real barrier
It doesn’t really matter whether we’re talking about a holiday romance where your other half lives in a different time zone, or they have a career which involves traveling to another city, the problems are the same. You aren’t in as regular contact as you would be if you were living together. But your core relationship will remain the same. It’s all about finding ways to surmount the geographical issues. Once you can agree these workarounds, you will find distance is no barrier to a committed relationship.
Making time special
When we’re with a partner a lot of the time, there can be a tendency to start taking each other for granted. If you are leading separate lives, you are forced to concentrate much harder on making a success of what you have. This will make you far more focused on keeping an eye out for issues or being prepared to go that extra mile if your loved one is experiencing stress.
Staying in touch
The biggest area you can wholeheartedly commit in order to make your separation work is where communication is concerned. You can make up for the lack of opportunity for personal interaction by ensuring you maintain regular channels. The best way you can do this is to harness the widespread technology that is currently available.
Most of us are aware of Skype, which is basically an add-on to phone call technology, allowing you to interact with your subject via webcams or built-in computer or phone camera hardware. Skype connects to landline and mobile networks right across the globe, and although you would need to purchase credits in advance prior to using the service to make calls or send texts, the cost of this is comparatively low.
There are many other free alternatives. ooVoo utilizes ‘super-clear’ technology to give superior picture and audio quality. It also enables up to 12 different account holders to chat with one another. The desktop version allows users to watch YouTube together. What better way of keeping in touch when your loved one is far away than sharing your favorite films or music videos together? Others include ICQ and Jitsi and Tox.
Once you do establish this definite line of communication, it is important to agree to certain parameters. Don’t be tempted to be sending demands for video chats all time. There’s an old adage that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder‘, and nowhere is this more appropriate than when it comes to touching base online. On the other hand, never leave it too long before you do make contact.
Try to agree times when you’ll be on hand for video calls, being mindful of time differences. If you can’t make the connection for whatever reason, always ensure you give adequate warning and make steps to re-schedule.