Do you believe that a long-distance relationship can work? It depends, right? Does it depend on the distance? Does it depend on the person or does it depend on you? How and will a long distance relationship work with college-age people might be the question now, but the ultimate question is, do you have what it takes to indulge in a long-distance relationship yourself?
A long-distance relationship can work, only with added effort and clear understandings. There are a lot of factors to consider.
How distant is the distance? If they are far but not that far away, maybe a 2 to 5 hour drive, then they are close enough that if you are desperately feeling a need for their presence, you can go to them. If you left a boyfriend or girlfriend in your hometown, you may find the accessibility makes things more manageable. Also, being familiar with their daily activities and friends may ease tensions as the relationship progresses. However, if you’re here in Georgia and your significant other lives in Michigan, than spontaneously getting to them might be a little problem. Not that it’s impossible to date someone from another state or country, but seeing them will involve a lot of preparation, time and money.
How long will distance last? If you have a given timeframe for which you will have to cope with an out-of-reach love, odds are in your favor. Looking forward to a definite date when you can begin being together everyday will lessen the pain of being apart. It’s easier to pace yourself for running ia race if you have an idea of when and where it will end. Same principle applies here. Indefinite distance can be daunting and seemingly endless.
So, try to keep an end in sight and work towards that end.
How committed are you? If you meet someone, you two hit it off, and then they transfer to another school, where do you go from there?
If you really like that person, or if it has evolved into love, then taking that extra step to remain involved, regardless of the distance, seems obvious. If you find that it is a lot harder for you to stay happy and upbeat with them being away, and it is just not working, then the long-distance relationship might not be for you two at the moment. It all depends on what you perceive of each other, and if the bond between you is strong enough to make it last.
How close are your definitions of Trust? Trust is the ultimate factor. It doesn’t matter if you really like or love someone. If you don’t trust them, the relationship will experience many complications and eventually suspicions will smother the flame. Communication and access are key. Most long distance couples will admit their secret is consistent communication. Note consistent, not constant. Nobody has time to be on the phone or internet all day. Try spreading your time together across the available mediums. Send a daily email in the morning that your sweetie can read whenever. Text short, thoughtful messages throughout the day and agree on a good time to have a nice, lengthy chat every day or other day. Surprise them with a handwritten letter in the mailbox.
Ultimately, only you can determine whether the relationship fills your heart with hope or hate. Breaking off the relationship might be a better solution than waiting for it to crash and burn. But if you can committed to each other and the relationship, there should be nothing that you can’t work out.
Relationships are hard, period, but add on some distance and you have an even harder task at hand. But the right person might be worth the extra effort.