By Daniella Rudoy
Photo retrieved from Daily Mail
Ah, the time-old stigma of long distance relationships in college.
“They’ll never work.” “You’re too young to be deciding something like this.” “Don’t waste your time!” are things we never fail to hear.
Sure, long distance isn’t easy in any circumstance, but it’s especially difficult in college. You’re getting to know yourself more than ever, your interests are popping up and disappearing like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole, and you’re in a whirlwind of constant personal development.
You’re balancing a new environment, a new workload, and new people, and saying you’re busy is no longer a lame excuse. So how do the few couples that survive this challenging test make it work?
As one-half of a long distance relationship, I can say in full disclosure that there are definitely days where it isn’t easy to be a couple hundred miles away from the person that makes everything better. After all, boyfriend bear hug is the cure-all for any issue imaginable.
Not to mention, seeing happy couples frolicking around campus in their no-distance couple bliss is just adding salt to the wound. You’re happy and going on envy-worthy Starbucks dates, we get it, but please don’t rub it in.
School work piles up, we get jobs and internships, join clubs, and make new friends; our schedules become jam packed to the point where squeezing in a Youtube video is a blessing. So how do you make a long distance relationship work? The formula to keeping your budding love a success really boils down to two very important tactics.
Make Time For Each Other. It’s the most important thing you can do. Whether that be a FaceTime session, long distance Netflix, late night phone calls, or a spontaneous letter or care package to brighten their day, making sure they know they are on your mind is key.
Stay Involved. Get to know their friends and classmates almost as if they were your own friends. Know their names, their stories, their problems; this makes conversations so much easier and almost fills the distance gap between the two of you.
No, the distance is not easy, but as my boyfriend says, “It’s either the distance with you, or nothing at all, and I choose you everyday.” Real love knows no boundaries , and distance really does make the heart grow fonder. To all the couples missing their other half, we’re in this sad but oh-so-worth-it mess together.
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