How to Survive a Long Distance Relaionship

Some couples meet at a coffee shop, some at concerts, and others through mutual friends. Not us; we met on an old dating site called MyYearbook.

That was four years ago. We were young and dumb and didn't know what to do with the feelings we had for each other. Flash to 2017 and we realized were still in love. But there's one major detail; he moved to eastern Pennsylvania two years ago! I reside in Metro Detroit, Michigan. That is a solid eight-and-a-half hour car drive without any stops. When I drove down there over the summer it took a total of ten-and-a-half hours after stopping for gas three times, stopping for food, and getting caught in a wild hail storm. We didn't know how, but we knew we wanted to make it work. It's been seven months and we've only seen each other once. I know there's others like us out there, so I'd like to share my tips on how to make things work in a long distance relationship.

1: COMMUNICATE, OH MY GOD

Yes, I know it's important part of ANY relationship, but being long distance is a little different. Send each other your work schedules so you know when you'll hear from them. And make sure you always tell each other how you really feel about something. Always texting is not always a great option because you can't analyze emotion through text.

2: Set time aside at least once a week to watch a movie together.

You're hours away from each other? That's not a problem! Casey and I do this all the time. We call each other, find a movie or tv show we both want to watch online, and count down to press play at the same time. You can do the same thing if you have cable and just watch the same channel. Since Casey works late most days, we usually do this at night. We get comfy with snacks and whatnot and spend a couple hours spending some time together watching funny shows and our favorite movies.

3: Set dates and plan ahead!

Figure out when would be a good time to visit each other. It's probably a good idea to do this months in advance. Set a goal to save money for that trip, and stick to it. Tell your work and tell your family and friends. Plan out EVERYTHING. I have OCD so I don't have to worry about all this. I have things planned months and months ahead of time.

4: Figure out a goal to move in together.

Whether it's two months or two years, set a goal. Of course, it depends on your situation as to why you don't live together, but once you've finished college, or just when you're ready, go out and see if you wanna live where your partner lives. See if you can find a job there that fits you. If not, have your partner do the same where you live. Casey lived here in MI (in Lansing) when I met him, but he moved to PA a couple years ago. He knows he wants to move back here but we're not sure where to go. Maybe somewhere in between here and there, right?

5: Share your life with one another.

I know this kind of goes along with communication, but it's just so important to know what's going on in each other's lives when you're in a serious relationship, no matter how far you are from each other. We both still live with our parents (we're both 20 somethings working our butts off to save money to get our own place). So we tell each other about the dumb stuff our parents do and complain about work. Right now, we're trying to set our best friends up together!

I hope these five tips will help you in your long distance relationship. Always remember to communicate and make time for each other. Share this with friends and family who are in a long distance relationship!