By Nate Maki | Staff Writer
Everyone is getting settled, you’re getting to know the places around campus and maybe you even went to your first Dr Pepper hour, but none of it matters because your second half feels like they’re a million miles away.
Whether you have been high school sweethearts for years, you fell in love over the summer or you’ve already been doing long distance for a while now, long-distance dating can be hard, but it’s important to remember you’re not going through it alone.
Here are some tips for your long-distance relationship that you can discuss with your partner.
1. Check in
We’ve all been there. You’re sitting there, trying to focus on schoolwork, and your eyes keep darting to your phone as you resist the urge to check it again. You haven’t heard from them for a whole 10 minutes. Jokes aside, one of the hardest parts of long-distance dating is not knowing what your partner is up to all the time.
The solution here is simple. You can’t think of every day as one long conversation. Instead, try thinking of talking with your partner as check-ins. Research from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee indicates that long-distance relationships benefit from segmentation, or making time for both yourself and your partner’s individual lives.
Whether it’s a brief conversation about your day so far, a FaceTime when you both find yourself with the time or even just a simple, “What’s up loser, I’m alive,” check-ins are vital to keeping up with your partner throughout the day, especially when you’re both leading busy lives.
2. Create consistency
One of the most comforting things about being in a relationship is having something to lean on, knowing that at the end of the day, whether it was great or terrible, you have someone to share those feelings.
That is why you need to create consistency with your partner. It could be a phone call during lunch every day or if your partner is within visiting distance, seeing each other for a weekend every month.
3. Use your resources
The issue most long-distance couples face is not having anything to do. Luckily, we live in 2024, and there are plenty of ways for couples to stay connected with activities.
Teleparty, for one, is a popular resource used to watch shows and movies together online, one of the most popular tools for long distance. There are lots of video games for couples, too.
Long-distance relationships take a lot of effort. Don’t feel worried if you feel like you can’t make it work. As long as you are both putting in time and effort, your relationship will thrive.
