Overcoming the challenges of long distance relationships
Couples are finding more reasons to seek long distance relationship counseling due to the seemingly insurmountable challenges of maintaining this type of relationship. It’s great to have someone to call love, but having a love life isn’t that easy when the person you’re in a relationship with is thousands of miles away. In reality, no one intends to have a long distance relationship just because of the innate difficulties of such a setup. However, sometimes love just flourishes between people who do not live in the same city, or in some cases not even in the same country. It happens a lot these days, as the Internet and telecommunications systems allow for more intimate long-distance communications. In other cases, people who spend a lot of time together and eventually fall in love end up leaving to stay elsewhere for extended periods due to work or other circumstances.
Difficult but not impossible to maintain
Being physically apart hurts. This is especially true if you want nothing more than to be around the person you love all the time. Relationships are riddled with doubts and fears, but these concerns are more pronounced in couples who are far apart most of the time.
The most relevant question is whether the couple has what it takes to survive the situation. At first, the excitement of the first few days of being in love drowns out everything else. Eventually, reality catches up with them, and sometimes reality bites into them. However, this type of relationship only fails if the people involved adopt a defeatist attitude. Although they are difficult, long distance couples manage to forge a stronger bond despite the distance. It’s not an impossible task, but a clear understanding of what it takes to maintain a long-distance relationship is needed for the setup to work.
Thoughts to stay away from
The downfall of a long distance relationship or any relationship is doubt. It is natural to feel doubt, especially in the long pauses between the moments you spend together as a couple. It is also quite natural to ask for reassurance. However, if doubt dominates the relationship, it is sure to be doomed. Also, self-defeating thoughts and frustrations don’t help at all. Giving in to hopelessness only makes it harder to deal with the absence of your loved one. Instead, the couple should focus on finding new ways to express their love and reciprocate their admiration for each other. Being positive and optimistic is the best approach to avoid heartbreak and pain.
Prioritize the one you love
Relocating to another city and being away from the one you love means juggling schedules and dealing with the time zone difference, in some situations. Making time gives yourself a new context, but if the person you’re in a relationship with is a priority, then it shouldn’t be that complicated. If making time for this person is at the top of your list, and then there is no chance that the relationship will fail, even though everyone else predicts it won’t last.