How to Navigate a Long Distance Relationship in College

The Surprising Benefits of Long Distance

Surprisingly, being in a long distance relationship strengthens your bond with your significant other. You learn to make the time you do have together count, while also learning to be your own person when you’re far away from each other. Without having someone to run to at every small inconvenience, you learn to handle many situations on your own, and soon realize how self-reliant and strong you actually are. Similarly, without spending all hours of every day with one person, being far away from your S.O. gives you the chance to meet new friends and hang out with new groups of people during the day.

Don’t Dwell on the Distance

Rather than dwelling over the fact that your significant other is miles and miles away, throw yourself into activities on campus and make new friends to keep yourself busy. Join new clubs that field your interests, and attend events for new students on campus. Avoid going days at a time without speaking to you S.O., however, and give each other updates about what’s new. Set up days and times for you and your S.O. to FaceTime, text, or call on the phone. Instead of going no communication or texting at all hours of the day, text sporadically throughout the day about what you’re doing and then call each other at night before bed to recap on the day before you both fall asleep. This is a great way to keep them involved in your life without every second revolving around them, giving both of you a sense of much-needed independence.

Communication is Key

Communication is likely the most important part of a long distance relationship. Without seeing them often, they won’t know how you feel about something unless you speak up about it and talk it out. Set up ground rules for each other and your relationship to make sure nothing is done that would disrespect the other person or make them feel small. Similarly, talk often to figure out when the next time you can meet up. Depending on the distance, this may be less frequent than not, but regardless, it is important to create events and times to see each other whenever possible.

Virtual Date Ideas

Sadly, often in-person dates are more difficult in a long distance relationship, but modern technology offers us so many options to have a virtual date night. A simple FaceTime call where you both do an activity together can be a meaningful and exciting date. An in-person dinner date is optimal, but when you’re in a long distance relationship, you can call each other and cook a dish together and set it out to eat with them on call. Going along the lines of cooking, the two of you can sign up for online cooking classes and try out more dishes together each week! Check out this list of online cooking classes here. Another great virtual date is watching a movie together online. Website extensions such as Teleparty or GroupWatch allows you to choose a movie or show together and watch it simultaneously on a streaming platform. You can even chat with them in the sidebar chat boxes to talk about what you’re watching!

Make the Most of it

Make the most of the time you have with them in person, but also cherish the time you have with them virtually, too. Try not to dwell on the fact that you only have 1 more day with them before you have to leave, but rather how much fun you had with them. Long distance isn’t easy, but it’s always worth it in the end. Getting to experience college with your significant other while still growing as your own individual person is the key to navigating a successful long distance relationship in college.