How to Cope with a Long-Distance Relationship

A long-distance relationship can be challenging. To make it work, it would help if you know how to cope with a long-distance relationship and the different aspects of being away from your partner.

Here is what you can do to help you cope with your long-distance relationship:

1. Try and figure out what isn’t working for you in your long-distance relationship.

2. Talk about your feelings, doubts, and concerns with your partner.

3. Take time to hear out your partner’s s point of view.

4. Together come up with different ways to solve this problem.

5. It’s easier to find solutions that work for both of you when you and your partner are on the same team.

When you’re trying to make a long-distance relationship work, you should know how to cope with different problems.

In this article, we will talk about different ways to cope with common issues in a long-distance relationship. But, before we do, answer this question to yourself: Why are you trying to cope with a long-distance relationship instead of enjoying it?

How to Cope with a Long-Distance Relationship in college?

Coping with a long-distance relationship in college can be challenging and unnecessary.

When you go to college, you are surrounded by opportunities to have fun and meet new people, and you also need time to study.

Trying to stay connected with your long-distance partner and doing all these things can be challenging. When you need to study or want to go out with friends, you may start feeling more disconnected from your long-distance partner. And, when you spend time talking to your partner who is away, you can miss out on opportunities that come with being in college.

At some point, your long-distance relationship may feel like a drag that keeps you away from living life instead of an experience that brings you fulfilment.

Long-distance relationships work well for a short while. But, when you go to college, you’re going to be away from your partner for a few years. It’s almost unrealistic to expect it from yourself to stay faithful to the person who isn’t there while being surrounded by like-minded people and forming new relationships.

If either, you or your partner is about to go to college, a healthy thing to do is to talk about your feelings and also set realistic expectations. If you really want to give your long-distance relationship is shot, you should agree to be honest with each other no matter what.

As long as you maintain trust in a long-distance relationship, you can deal with most problems that come your way.

If one of you isn’t comfortable with a long-distance relationship, it’s best to share it straight away.

When you know what’s going on with you, your partner, and your relationship, you can adjust to the changes while maintaining love and respect towards each other. If your relationship isn’t working sexually, you may consider an open long-distance relationship, or you can be friends, at least for now.

How to Cope Emotionally with a Long-Distance Relationship?

Long-distance relationships have a lot of benefits. They can be great for getting to know someone online or to maintain an existing relationship if one of you has to be away.

But, when your long-distance relationship isn’t working, it can quickly become a struggle and bring you a lot of suffering instead of joy. Coping emotionally with a long-distance relationship can be very challenging.

You started a romantic relationship because you wanted to be intimate with another person. You wanted to have them next to you, to enjoy their company, and share intimate moments with them.

When you are in a long-distance relationship, you might be away from your partner for weeks or months at a time. Suppose you don’t find a way to enjoy the benefits of a long-distance relationship. In that case, you will feel sad and lonely, missing your partner, wishing to be together, knowing that you can’t.

When this lasts for a couple of months, and you can regularly see each other, it can be easy to get busy with other things. However, suppose your long-distance relationship lasts a long time. In that case, these constant feelings of insufficiency will bring you a lot of suffering. At that point, you should reassess whether or not it’s worth being in such a relationship for you.

How to Cope Sexually in a Long-Distance Relationship?

A romantic relationship implies having physical intimacy. If you started a long-distance relationship online, you could easily spend a couple of months getting to know each other. But if your relationship becomes serious, you need to find a way to visit each other regularly and set a date for moving in together.

A long-distance relationship, without a plan, a timeline and end date, isn’t going to work. You can make it last for a long time, but all that will do is bring your sexual frustration, depression and anxiety.

You can maintain sexual intimacy online. It’s not going to be the same as being with your partner, but it will bring you a certain degree of satisfaction for the times when you feel horny and alone. When you’re away from your romantic partner, you can do things like sexting, play naughty games online, and have virtual sex.

When you love someone, you may be willing to make sacrifices in the name of staying together. For example, if you really need sexual intimacy, you may choose to put up with your sexual frustration. The problem with making sacrifices is that negative feelings build up inside of you and silently influencing your behaviour.

For example, you can suppress your sexual desires. But after a while, they will lead to sexual frustration. Then frustration is going to affect other aspects of your life and your relationship. Persistent feelings of sadness and frustration can lead to anxiety and depression. Once you find yourself depressed and anxious, it can be a long way out of that state.

So, there are times for compromises, but only if you are aware of the consequences and can cope with them.

How to Cope with Missing your Long-Distance Girlfriend or Boyfriend?

When you are away from your romantic partner for weeks at a time, it’s normal to miss them. One thing you can do to cope with it is to make a plan for how often you can communicate online and visit each other.

Having a plan will reassure you of what happens in your long-distance relationship. It will help you cope with negative feelings that come with uncertainty.

Effective communication that is based on trust and openness will help you keep an emotional connection during the periods when you are apart.

Regular visits will help you maintain physical intimacy, which is a significant part of a romantic relationship.

There will be occasions when you miss your partner, and you can’t talk to them because they are busy or asleep. In times like this, try to shift your focus from your partner to your own life. One of the cool things about a long-distance relationship is that you have a lot of time to spend doing the things you enjoy with people you love.

How to Cope with a Busy Partner in a Long-Distance Relationship?

Both, you and your partner can use the time apart to pursue your own life goals and ambitions unless you are in a clingy relationship where you spend most of your time talking to your partner.

Having a busy girlfriend or boyfriend is a sign that you are in a healthy long-distance relationship. However, suppose your long-distance partner is spending less and less time talking to you or engaging in meaningful conversations. In that case, it could also be a sign that you are drifting apart or your partner is losing interest in you or your relationship.

Suppose you find yourself missing your partner because they are busy. It could mean that either you aren’t spending enough time being busy yourself, or your partner isn’t spending enough time on your relationship. You can’t know for sure which one it is until you talk to your partner about it.

Talk to your long-distance partner about your feelings and concerns. Tell them how you feel and listen to what they have to say. Once you get all the facts on the table, provided you are honest with each other, things will get clear. When you know the nature of your problem, or realise that there isn’t a problem, you will know the best way to cope with your feelings and your situation.

How to cope with long-distance relationship depression?

When most people talk about depression, they refer to the overwhelming feeling of sadness and loneliness. When these feelings persist for a long time, depression can take over your life and your relationship.

It’s tough to find a way out of depression, and being in a long-distance relationship doesn’t always help. When you are depressed, it’s nice to have someone next to you whom you can hold and who can give you comfort and reassure you that there is a way out.

When you are depressed and in a long-distance relationship, then certainties and frustrations of being away from your partner can make your depression even worse.

One way to cope with depression in a long-distance relationship is to talk about your feelings with your long-distance partner. If they know how to help you, then your relationship is worth fighting for.

However, suppose your partner doesn’t know how to handle your depression and support you in the ways that you need to be supported. In that case, it could be better to end your long-distance relationship. It will open your doors to finding someone next to you who can be there for you in the way you need them to.

How to Cope with a Long-Distance Partner Who Has Depression?

When your long-distance partner has depression, it can put a lot of pressure on you and your relationship. It’s hard to help someone who is far away from you. Of course, you can talk to them and support them by communicating online, but it’s not the same.

It can also be the case that your partner is depressed because of being in a long-distance relationship. In this case, you could try to visit each other more frequently or consider moving in together.

If none of these is an option, perhaps the best thing you can do is to support them as a friend. It will allow them to have a romantic relationship with someone closer to them while having your support, so they don’t feel alone.

How to Cope with Loneliness in a Long-Distance Relationship?

Being in a long-distance relationship means you will have to spend most of your time apart away from your partner. But, it doesn’t mean that you have to be alone or feel lonely.

Being alone isn’t a bad thing. A bit of solitude helps you reflect on your own life, goals, and ambitions. If you do feel lonely, you can always hang around with friends or family.

Suppose you see loneliness as a burden and suffering. In that case, it will be tough to cope with it in a long-distance relationship. So, the best thing you can do is to change your mindset.

Instead of seeing loneliness as a burden, you can see it as an opportunity to do something you enjoy with people you like. At the same time, you can have an intimate relationship with someone you love and trust.

How to Cope with Jealousy in a Long-Distance Relationship?

Jealousy is the envy of somebody else’s fortunes or advantages. In a long-distance relationship, you may feel jealous of your partner’s friends.

If you feel disadvantaged because you can’t spend enough time with your partner, you may feel jealous of people who can.

How you cope with jealousy has a direct impact on the health of your long-distance relationship. Your first impulse might be to restrict your partner from seeing their friends. Such controlling behaviour will make your partner want to avoid sharing things with you.

If this continues, there will be an emotional distance in your relationship as well as the physical one. After some time, you may drift apart.

A better way to cope with jealousy in your long-distance relationship is to be happy for your long-distance partner instead of being controlling.

Another thing you can do is to spend some time with your friends, so you don’t feel alone.

How to Cope with Anxiety in a Long-Distance Relationship?

Long-distance brings a lot of uncertainty into your relationship. These uncertainties vary from confusion during your communication to doubts whether or not your relationship will survive the long-distance.

Suppose you are in a long-distance relationship for a few months. In that case, you can maintain an emotional connection through effective communication and physical intimacy by visiting each other regularly.

Frequent visits will give you a chance to talk about things that bother you face-to-face. On the other hand, if you don’t see each other often enough, different issues can accumulate and turn your relationship into a struggle.

Constant unprocessed doubts and worries can turn into anxiety. If you find yourself feeling anxious while in a long-distance relationship, try to understand what causes your anxiety. Is it something personal, or is it the fact of being away from your romantic partner for a long time?

When you are clear on the reasons for your anxiety, you can talk about your feelings and those with your long-distance partner. Together, you can find a way to reassure you that things will work out and find the best way forward that works for both of you.

Conclusion

Long-distance brings a lot of uncertainties into your relationship. Unprocessed doubts and worries can turn into anxiety and depression.

The best way to cope with negative feelings in a long-distance relationship is to express them to your partner. Also, take time to hear out your partner’s thoughts and concerns.

As long as you and your partner are ready to hear each other out and make an effort to resolve the issues, coping with a long-distance relationship won’t be a problem.

However, suppose you are trying to cope with a long-distance relationship. In that case, that’s enough of a reason for you to take some time and reassess your relationship. If you are in a healthy relationship, you’d be enjoying it rather than finding a way to cope with it.

If you’re coping with a long-distance relationship, it means something isn’t working. Try to find what isn’t working and together with your partner agree on the best way forward that works for both of you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can I cope with a long-distance relationship?

For you to cope with the long-distance relationship, you should understand why your relationship brings you suffering instead of joy. When you know what’s not working, you can share it with your long-distance partner and together find a solution to these problems.

How do couples cope with long-distance relationships?

Couples cope with long-distance relationships in different ways. Some suppress their negative emotions and try to make the long-distance relationship lasts as long as they can. Others try to work out their problems and attempt to have a healthy and successful long-distance relationship.

How to cope with being in a long-distance relationship?

When you are in the long-distance relationship, you should aim to enjoy it rather than trying to cope with it. Coping implies a struggle. A relationship should contribute to your well-being and happiness and not make it hard for you to be with someone else. That’s why long-distance relationships shouldn’t last for too long.

What if I can’t cope with a long-distance relationship?

If you can’t cope with a long-distance relationship, sometimes it’s better to end it. When you are in love with someone who lives far away, you can try to make your long-distance relationship work for a short while. Effective communication and regular visits will help you to do so. However, being away from your romantic partner for a long time can bring your suffering instead of joy. If that is the case, it can be better for everyone to end your relationship and find a romantic partner with whom you can be together.