As the end of the school year approaches and seniors look forward to college and a new stage in their lives, many face the possibility of a long distance relationship.
Although the thought of long distance scares most couples, there are ways to make it work and many hidden benefits that make it worth it in the end.
Long distance relationships take more effort from both members.
First of all, the communication from both parties has to be strong, which can lead to a stronger relationship overall. People in long distance relationships must make use of alternate forms of communication such as texting, calling or video chatting when there is little opportunity to communicate in person.
According to marriage.com, long-distance relations require communication between partners to retain the bond of love and intimacy.
It also requires couples to be more focused on the time they spend together.
As stated on Psychalive, partners that can’t see each other regularly and easily develop a better sense of value for every chance they have to spend time together.
The limited amount of in person time long distance couples have together, requires both partners to be more in-the-moment and free from distractions such as phones or video games. This focus on the moment allows for a stronger connection to form between the two people.
In addition to this, a new sense of creativity is found. Couples must work to find ways to build their relationships apart from a physical connection, such as deep conversations and virtual dates.
More trust is also built between people in a long distance relationship. Since couples are not together all the time, a stronger sense of trust is required in faithfulness. This requires couples to work together to build that level of trust.
Long distance relationships also allow for individuals to be in a relationship, while also keeping a great sense of independence. Rather than relying on their partner to help with everything in their life, this forces people to remain their own person and make decisions that are best for themselves.
Marriage.com says that people in long-distance relationships can do almost everything on their own and become more independent in their choices and decisions.
This is beneficial to the relationship because in the unfortunate situation that a relationship does not work out, people are not left feeling like they cannot do anything on their own and feeling lost without their partner.
In addition, since people are not spending all of their free time with their partners, they have more time to spend with their family and friends, making sure that they do not lose their relationships with those people while being focused on their romantic relationships.
It is mentally harmful for people to constantly be with their partners and have little to no alone time, however, being in a long distance relationship allows for more personal time to focus on things like education, work and other hobbies.
As Psychalive puts it, being in a long distance relationship gives people time to discover who they are, and focus on their own goals.
Lastly, a long distance relationship tests the commitment, compatibility, and love between two people. If both members of the relationship want to find a way to make long distance work for them, they must put in lots of extra effort to keep the relationship strong.
Although long distance relationships seem scary and impossible, there are ways to make it work and keep the relationship strong and healthy.