How to Maintain a Healthy and Successful Long-Distance Relationship: 9 Tips

Skillz January 12, 2022

0 851 7 minutes read

Maintain a Healthy and Successful Long-Distance Relationship: “I wouldn’t describe it as love at first sight, but I got a nice vibe about us when we first met. Darryl was, to put it mildly, a singular individual. We met at a conference in Abuja and became an item a year later…a serious item, to be sure. We managed to carve out time for ourselves despite our tight work schedules, which was made much easier by the fact that we both worked in the same city.

However, I recently received a letter from work indicating that I had been promoted, but the promotion came with some additional obligations. I’ll be transferred to the company’s Port Harcourt branch since the managing director believes I’m the best candidate for the job. While I’m excited, I’m also cautious. I’m unsure how I’m going to make this relationship work. Darryl is someone I admire, and I cannot bear the thought of losing him.”

There is no disputing the difficulty of long-distance relationships. They provide significant difficulties to conquer, and they frequently require the couple to develop particular skills and resources to make them work. The stakes are substantially higher when children are involved.

Nevertheless, long-distance relationships can thrive, even if they initially appear to be daunting or tough. They merely require some additional thought and work. Long-distance relationships can be efficiently handled over time with the proper planning, mindset, and communication skills.

The following essay discusses How to Maintain a Healthy and Successful Long-Distance Relationship.

There are a few critical points to remember to ensure the success of a long-distance relationship:

1. Ensure that you and your spouse are both on the same page

This is an important discussion for you and your spouse to have as soon as possible. Do you and your partner agree on the reason for your separation?

If you believe that your partner’s new career opportunity is not worth the disruption to your relationship, or if you perceive that they have other travel options, resentment may develop. You may lose faith in the distance’s meaning and believe it means something else, such as that your spouse does not mind being apart from you or that you are not valuable enough to stay.

2. Long-term success

Maintaining long-distance relationships requires both partners to possess certain particular characteristics and strengths. They include the following:

A. Autonomy:

You must be self-sufficient first and foremost. Both of you should be individuals who value closeness but also possess a strong sense of self-sufficiency, with distinct interests, hobbies, and social circles.

B. Independence:

You’ll also need a life that isn’t dependent on a romantic partner to prosper. You must be confident in your abilities to negotiate a few circumstances, such as dinner parties and gatherings, on your own. If you believe your life comes to a halt or is harmed in the absence of your partner, you may struggle even more.

C. Trust:

Finally, and maybe most crucially, you must have trust which will help in maintaining a Healthy and Successful Long-Distance Relationship. If you spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about what your partner is doing when you are apart, the relationship will surely end.

Although trust is not built by proximity and constant monitoring, it can appear as though being apart for an extended period would put your relationship to the test and possibly open the door to infidelity.

C. A strong Support System:

You’ll require both a support system and a life outside of the partnership. If you’ve been relying on a relationship as your major social life, you’re placing the relationship under unnecessary strain. If your friends and family members support you in your relationship, you will have more people on your side through times of loneliness.

Table of Contents

How to Maintain a Healthy and Successful Long-Distance Relationship

Both local and long-distance relationships require a number of the same factors for optimal relationship health. On the other hand, long-distance ones will require a little more careful thought. Individuals involved in long-distance relationships must be significantly more intentional and diligent in carrying out the tasks necessary for relationship growth. These suggestions will be quite beneficial.

1. Communication:

Because you will not be meeting in person, it is critical to establish and sustain an emotional bond as frequently as possible. It does not have to be lengthy or in-depth discussions. Frequent communication, regardless of its size, displays that you value the connection enough to devote time and effort to it, and it makes it easy to stay current on each other’s life.

You must be able to communicate your objectives and worries to your partner in a clear and timely manner before they become entrenched and produce resentment. Be candid and forthright about your situation. Allowing lengthy (days at a time) pauses between speaking will cause your daily experiences to fade into the background, requiring you to restart each time.

A. Determine your partner’s preferred way of communication.

Experiment with a few different technologies to see which one is the most suitable for you and your partner. To stay current on little daily details, you could try texting, emailing, or video chatting.

B. If possible, work around your schedules.

If you anticipate being unable to communicate, notify your partner in advance and make every effort to maintain contact. If you’re not as busy as your partner, maintain flexibility and focus on something that interests you.

C. Discuss trivial, insignificant matters.

You are not required to have an in-depth conversation about your relationship, hopes, or dreams at every chance. Rather than that, focus on the small tasks that couples who live together typically perform, such as grocery shopping, housework, and redecorating.

This creates the impression that you’re co-constructing a home, something to look forward to. By discussing the mundane or normal things of your day, you can develop connecting and interdependence, which are the bedrocks of relationships.

2. Visit Frequently:

When your time together is limited, timing is critical. To maintain long-distance relationships, you should see one another as frequently as possible. Make an effort to visit each other as frequently as possible, or as frequently as your resources allow.

Establish a regular visiting schedule, or at the very least make arrangements for the next visit immediately upon the conclusion of the current one. Face-to-face communication is necessary for relationship happiness, commitment, and trust.

3. Commit to the Relationship:

Both parties should commit to the relationship. You should both have an ethical commitment, and the partnership should be based on personal ideals rather than social constraints. Personal values encompass convictions such as “faithfulness is an integral part of my identity.”

The perception of society’s approval or disapproval is a source of social pressure. Keep an eye out for your partner’s attempts to get you to do something only for their benefit. If you discover that you are being dishonest or manipulative in your communication, you may want to consider why your relationship lacks trust.

4. Establish an End Date

While long-distance relationships can be enjoyable for a time, you’ll almost certainly wish to be in the same spot as your spouse shortly. Knowing when that will occur is advantageous for all parties.

Due to the difficulty of being apart, you must both be equally committed to the relationship and agree on the duration of this scenario and how you aim to eventually live together.

5. Continue to do things together even when you’re apart

You can still have fun together even if you are not physically together. You can schedule a Skype movie in which both of you can watch the same film regardless of your geographical location. Thanks to Netflix and other streaming services, it’s easier than ever to binge-watch shows with your partner.

Make enjoyable plans with your companion and anticipate the intricacies of your next meeting. Make arrangements for the forthcoming weekend together. Make it a practice to discuss the pleasant activities you’ll do together. This provides both parties with something to look forward to.

6. Have Confidence in Your Relationship

Insecurity may result in one partner checking in on the other regularly. This may result in unnecessarily high levels of anxiety as a result of excessive phone calls and text messages sent for the wrong reasons. Long-distance relationships require reciprocal trust in order to maintain the relationship’s boundaries.

Of course, this is true for all types of relationships, but it is especially critical in those in which you have no way of knowing whether your partner is doing what they claim.

It’s natural to feel concerned when your companion exhibits unusual behavior. For a few days, they may neglect to make a goodnight call, engage in excessive chatter about new acquaintances, or appear less responsive to interactions. Express your discontent when this occurs. Couples speak effectively in order to convey to their wives an understanding of their lives and priorities.

7. Establish unambiguous Expectations and Boundaries

a. Discuss the nature of your relationship: Begin by asking the critical questions to verify that you and your spouse are on the same page on the nature of the relationship. Indicate the type of connection you wish to have with your spouse.

For instance, are you two dating, seeing each other, in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, or engaged? Additionally, the relationship’s exclusivity should be defined.

b. Work together to overcome doubts, uncertainty, and fear: Along with the good, discuss the scary and difficult subjects. Utilize this time to communicate your feelings honestly with your companion.

Recognizing your partner’s ups and downs when physically separated will assist you in accepting and being comfortable with their low moments when you reunite in person.

c. Remain optimistic: Focus on the benefits of distance, such as the freedom to pursue your interests, hobbies, and career ambitions.

Recognize that the separation will need both of you to be more innovative in communicating and expressing your emotions. Consider this a chance to put your communication abilities and emotional intelligence to the test.

d. Clearly define each other’s role expectations: There should be discussions about what each of you is expected to do, regardless of who is at home or away. Unspoken expectations can come back to bite you.

Conclusion

Bear in mind that all relationships, whether long-distance or not, take effort and attention to your partner or loved one and can help Maintain a Healthy and Successful Long-Distance Relationship. Expect roadblocks if you and your spouse choose to take these steps. These problems, if overcome, will only contribute to a healthy partnership in the long run.