How to maintain a long distance relationship: 10 keys to make it work

Either because you have met in another city, for work reasons or because your love arose over the internet, the kilometers may separate you and your partner.

Long-distance relationships can be difficult to maintain, but not impossible, and there are ways to cope without the separation affecting your union.

In this article we give you advice on how to maintain a healthy and working long distance relationship, so that the only obstacle that exists between you is the kilometers.

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How to maintain a long distance relationship in 10 tips

Each relationship is unique and the circumstances of each one can be very different, but with these tips it will be easier for you to maintain a relationship at a distance.

1. Frequent communication

Communication is an important factor in any couple, but it will be essential to maintain a strong and consolidated long distance relationship.

Communicate regularly and make video calls assiduously allows you not to lose the connection, and helps you feel close to each other. It also helps to establish a routine and normalize the relationship as if distance does not separate you.

Also try to vary the communication channels and that go beyond the exchange of written messages. Make calls and video calls so you can hear your voice and see each other.

2. Share emotions

But it won't be enough just to communicate frequently. That this communication is open and deep is another way to keep a long distance relationship alive. It is important to share so much information from day to day, to share your routines, as well as your feelings at all times, to strengthen your bond.

Opening up to each other will allow you to get to know each other better, and will help you to stay together emotionally and spiritually. Knowing the other person in this way will also help de-idealize them, a key factor in maintaining a healthy relationship. Not hiding how you feel will also improve your confidence, a fundamental aspect in long distance relationships.

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3. Confidence

In order to maintain a long-distance relationship, there has to be a lot of trust between the two of you. Not seeing that person or being able to share your day to day can generate fear that they may see other people or that they are lying.

Honesty and learning to trust the other will be the key so that the distance does not affect your relationship. It will also be important not to show excessive distrust of the other person by asking a lot of questions or trying to figure out where he is at all times, as this could alienate the other person still more.

4. Have your own time

Leaving space for the other is also important to maintain a relationship at a distance, since being too aware of the other person can make you neglect your own life.

You must maintain activities that occupy your free time and that allow you take advantage of the time you don't spend together. This will also help time pass more quickly, and without you realizing it you will be seeing each other again.

5. Do things together

But looking for your own time by being apart does not imply that you cannot carry out activities together. In fact, it is another important factor when it comes to maintaining your relationship at a distance.

Some of the examples of things you can do together despite the distance they are scheduling activities together, such as planning a trip together or choosing a piece of furniture that you are going to buy for your apartment. Another way to share activities is to do the same tasks at the same time, such as going to the cinema to see the same movie.

Performing this type of task despite the distance that separates you allows you to maintain the connection and keeps alive the feeling of normalized relationship.

6. Do not neglect sex

And in the same way that these tasks normalize the relationship, so does the fact that you do not renounce your sexuality. And it is that not being able to be together physically does not imply that you cannot enjoy sex together.

There's a lot ways to keep eroticism alive in a long distance relationship, which go beyond sexting or sending photographs. A virtual sex session on the phone or through a video call will help keep the spark of this part of your life as a couple.

7. Show love to the other

There are people unable to show love for the other if it is not in person, but in a long distance relationship it will be vital transmit to your partner what you feel even through written messages.

Not being able to be together physically will have to be compensated with other displays of affection, and sometimes a few simple words or a message of affection can be enough to start the day. The important thing will be let them know that you are there and that it is important to you.

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8. Talk about expectations

Be clear about the expectations of your relationship it is key to avoid being disappointed in the future. One of the keys for a long-distance relationship to work is to be clear about where the relationship is heading and what each of you expects from it.

Talking about the uncertainties that your relationship raises or exploring your fears are key aspects to be able to move forward successfully. The road is hard and both of you must be willing to follow it for the relationship to work.

9. Schedule visits

Maintaining a long distance relationship does not mean giving up physical encounters. It is important to schedule trips and meetings whenever possible.

Having a scheduled trip helps you cope better with the distance and gives you a boost to move forward with your long-distance relationship.

It will also be important that these trips occur only when it is possible for both of you and that they are balanced. That is, that both of you do your part in the meeting, both at the level of effort and at the economic level.

10. Envision a future together

Although it is important to find moments of encounter and schedule visits, it will be difficult to maintain the relationship if it does not exist a plan for the future in which you can get to be together. It is possible to survive at a distance, but there must be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Not seeing the possibility of being together or not knowing when there will be no distance between you can be hopeless, so it will be important to plan or talk about a future in which you can maintain a relationship standardized.

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