Taking the "Long" Out of Long Distance Relationships

Long distance relationships come with good times, bad times, ugly times, and of course those lonely times. And more times than none we are left face to face with those lonely times. Sitting at home on a Saturday night while your girl friends, accompanied by their "in the flesh" boyfriends, venture off to dinner in the city or get drinks at your favorite bar. The only thing stopping you from joining is the fact that you are here and well, your boyfriend is...not! Long distance is a hard thing to work through, but if you take the long out of your long distance relationship, the distance part is cake.

Fact. No one likes to do anything for a long period of time; sit too long, wait too long, stand too long, talk on the phone too long, be in a store for too long. But distance is not always an issue. People from New Jersey and Maryland travel to Delaware to shop tax-free. They go the distance. Commuters travel hours a day getting back and forth to work. They too, go the distance. What these distance-goers do is eliminate how long it takes to get there and just get there. If you approach your long distance relationship with this mindset, the road to happiness will not be so rough.

First step to taking the long out of your long distance relationship is communication. Don't wait too long to call your sweetie back if you happen to miss the call, or even if you are busy and need to call them back. Do so in a timely fashion. After all a phone call is priceless when that is the only way of interacting with the one you love.

At the same time, you don't want to want to smoother with long drawn out conversations on the telephone. Staying on the phone too long can sometimes cause annoyance, irritability, and frustration.

The second step to taking the long out of your long distance relationship is frequent visitation. Whether your distance is a drive up the highway, or a plane ride away, you must plan frequent visitations. Try not to wait too long before the next time you plan a weekend with your sweetie. Keep visits as regular as possible. Remember it's only distance between you and mate!

The third step, never argue longer than necessary. Arguing is only fun when you know that there is opportumity to make-up. It is much harder to patch up a long distance relationship argument than it is a normal argument. Normally a phone argument leads to "I'll be right there," which leads to make-up kisses, hugs, and everyone is happy again. But a phone argument in a long distance relationship leads to stress, hurt, and unnecessary frustration. Try to end every conversation on a positive note. Even if you are in the midst of a heated argument, at least end the conversation with loving words.

Go the distance in your long distance relationship. That is the most effective way to keep that relationship strong. Don't worry about how long it will take you to get to the person you want to see, just get there. And when you get there continue to "take the long" out of your long distance relationship. Work on the three simple steps above and watch how the relationship changes.