I have been in a long-distance relationship for more than a year now. I’m not sure if this time is enough to make me an expert or if I’m still a novice in the long-distance dating world. My boyfriend and I live in different cities, around 1200 kilometers away from each other.
And in this past year, we’ve only seen each other for a total of 6 weeks. The rest of our time together was spent on the phone, trying out every possible social media network to stay connected- Snapchat, Skype, Viber, Facetime, you name it!
After managing to stay together for more than a year, it’s easy for everyone around us to assume that we both are really great at handling all the problems that come with distance, but I don’t think these problems are something you can ever really be great at handling. How can you ever start missing them less? How can you ever stop yourself from crying because you haven’t seen them in months? How can you manage to smile on your birthday when you know they just can’t make it?
I’m not going to sugarcoat things. I’m not going to tell you secret tricks on making this distance fun because there are no tricks! This distance will always feel like a daily handicap that you need to adjust with. And this feeling will end up hurting you one time or another but if you really love the person you’re with, you will find a way to make it tolerable.
Because when it comes to true love, no amount of distance will be able to keep you two apart. So if you’ve taken the decision to stick it out with this amazing person, and if you really wish to make this long-distance relationship work, then remember to first make these 9 important promises to each other:
1. I promise to always send you heart-felt letters or maybe even an occasional gift. I’m not promising that they’ll always be something absolutely out of the ordinary or something really fancy. But I can promise to make sure that they bring a smile to your face.
2. I promise to be there for you every time you’re sad or stressed about something. I know I won’t be able to always sit down and take you in my arms at times like these but I do promise to call you up and listen to everything you have to say for as long as you want.
3. I promise to always have a set date for visiting you next. It doesn’t matter if the trip is planned for a week later or even six months. What matters is that we always have something to look forward to, a constant hope of seeing each other again.
4. I promise to Facetime or Skype with you even when I’m tired and sleepy. Our routines and time difference will always leave one of us waking up at weird hours just to talk and see each other’s face. We obviously can’t do this every night but at least once a week, we’ll throw on our pajamas and talk to our phone screens just to feel more connected.
5. I promise to always let you know what you mean to me and to keep telling you that I love you. This distance will stop us from showing love and affection through holding hands or giving each other unexpected kisses. But I will always assure you of my love through words at least.
6. I promise not to over think about everything. I realize that the distance between us is only temporary and that we WILL get through this. So there shouldn’t be a need to keep stressing out over all the miles between us.
7. I promise to help create a sense of normality in our relationship. This might be through our weekly Saturday night Skype date or a long and heart-felt good night message every day or a phone call on the way home from work. Whatever this routine may be, it’ll be just our’s, something that’s unique to our relationship.
8. I promise to let you know when the distance starts to get to me. I won’t keep the frustration bottled up inside, only to let it out in a fight. I’ll vent out all my problems. I’ll let you know all the things that bother me and we will work together to look for a solution to all the problems.
9. I promise to always be completely honest with you. We won’t be able to overcome this distance without trust and loyalty. So I’ll trust you to always be truthful with me and I will try my best to return the favor.
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