Long-distance relationships are one of the ultimate tests of affection between two people. Some think that they’re just a myth – others believe that they can be successful with enough effort.
Jealousy is one of the crippling factors when it comes to long-distance relationships. By taking note of the following six tips, you can minimize its effect and increase your chances of success.
- Communicate Frequently
While the physical interaction can’t be replaced, apps such as Skype, Telegram and WhatsApp can help you keep that close connection. Dedicate certain hours of your day specifically for this – even the casual talking and chatting will help make up for the distance.
However, it’s important to set a schedule that both you and your partner can follow. If a certain form of interaction gets a bit too tedious, switch to other methods. For example, reserve certain days for video/voice calling and leave others for chatting. This pattern can help break the monotony while being a lot more convenient – especially if one person is really busy and can’t afford to speak constantly.
- Ask & Answer Questions
It’s normal to be overly curious, even slightly obtrusive at times, especially at the beginning of a long-distance relationship. This is why it’s important to be as honest as possible when talking to each other.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you have something that’s troubling you. Your partner’s reassurance builds up the trust that you’ll need to keep a strong connection, even when you’re far away from one another. Keep in mind that this will have to go both ways – whatever your partner asks, the answer should be sincere and from the heart. If you’re having second thoughts, it’s always better to ask than to be left in the dark.
- Track Online Activity Through Spokeo
If you’re suspicious and want to put your mind at ease, you can do some side digging. Although you can’t know everything that your partner is doing, Spokeo is a perfect tool that can paint a pretty good picture of his/her overall activities.
By entering the person’s phone number, Spokeo could run a reverse phone lookup in order to dig up everything from the current address and co-residents to all dating profiles, photos and social media accounts. Your partner will have a hard time hiding anything since they have to use at least some personal details while registering on a website. If there’s something that he/she did without your knowledge, you’ll quickly find out. In case you want to uncover some additional info, an email search could lead to some further details.
- Define Some Limits
Certain expectations have to be specified and met on both sides. There isn’t a single correct guideline that’s going to work for everyone. Some people lean more towards open relationships, while others like to keep it as restrictive and uneventful as possible. If you and your partner have major differences in this regard, try to find the middle ground and compromise so that everyone’s happy with the limitations. This is usually where most of the trust issues arise, specifically in relationships that have been established more frequently. If that’s the case, try to denote some extra restrictive rules until you’re both more comfortable.
- Keep Yourself Busy
Overthinking is the bane of all long-distance relationships. If you spend your days constantly thinking about what the other person is doing, you’ll start to create certain scenarios in your head that can quickly become overwhelming.
Because of this, it’s crucial that you find something to do in your free time in order to keep your mind busy. This can be anything from your daily job, recreational sports, gym/working out to a hobby like reading, sewing etc. It can take a lot of trial and error until you find something that suits you and your lifestyle. At the end of the day, aim to be maximally productive and you’ll quickly find yourself worrying less and doing more.
- Visit As Much As Possible
Even though this is the most effective way of strengthening the romantic bond, it’s also the most difficult to achieve. If your loved one is thousands of miles away, you won’t be able to rely on visits. They’ll be few and far between, but you’ll quickly learn how to get the most out of them when they do occur. Also, try to implement surprise visits if possible – your partner is going to be even more delighted when they see you unexpectedly. While it’s easier said than done, a little bit of dedication could go a long way.
Maguire Haigh is a content marketing manager for Spokeo. He is an expert in the business sphere. He prefers writing articles on marketing, social media presence, travel and startup topics. Maguire has great experience in travelling and deep knowledge of 5 foreign languages.