Getting into a long-distance relationship isn’t a decision anyone should take lightly. Everything is more difficult when you don’t live close to your partner, but here’s how you know you and your partner can withstand the pressures ahead.
- You plan out a bunch of date nights and visits on your calendar from the very beginning. You don’t ask to see if you can take a trip down to see him next month—instead, you two fill up a calendar with plans for at least the next three months. Even if it’s movie dates online, it still counts—and it’s quality time between the two of you that you can depend on.
- He makes you laugh. It’s important to be in a long-distance relationship with a guy who can make you laugh because the two of you are going to face a lot of harder times as the relationship progresses. Even if you feel secure, being far from each other is a challenge. The ability to laugh under pressure is an amazing trait to have.
- You have a long history. It’s a relationship with someone you’ve either dated before or a friend that has turned into an actual boyfriend. That, or you’ve chatted online for years before making it official. It’s important that you two have a solid foundation. If so, he realizes how lucky he is to finally be able to call you his girlfriend even if there are miles between you.
- You were brought together by more than just attraction. Sure, you thought he was cute, but he was downright handsome after getting to know him and realizing you had a bunch in common. If you connect on a level that doesn’t include sexual chemistry or physical attraction, you two have a better chance of surviving. That’s because your conversations go further and you know how to keep things alive by sharing your interests.
- He messages you even when he has nothing to say… six months in. By six months into your relationship, you’re probably used to the distance by now. If he’s still messaging you just because, the same way he did during the honeymoon period, it means he’s still into you. It’s not just messaging when he has to or out of habit.
- Your parents love him. If there’s anyone in this world who knows whether or not a relationship is built to last, it’s your parents. If you’re on good terms with them and they’ve met your guy, they’ll be able to accurately predict whether or not your pairing will go the distance. Plus, if he gets along with them well, the odds are in your favor that this relationship will make it long-term, even at a distance.
- At least one of you lives in a place with a ton of opportunities. It’s hard to leave your home state, especially if you’ve never done it before, but it makes sense if your guy lives in a city with a ton of job opportunities that’d sync up with your experience and your college degree. Even better if it has a lot of parks, restaurants, venues, and places to go that fit your interests. Remember, being in a relationship is great, but if you make a huge change and there’s nothing out there for you besides your significant other, it’ll be really tough to feel like you belong. Being dependent on them based on feeling out of place might strain your connection.
- You’ve let things grow progressively. It’s hard to start an LDR that’s passionate and romantic from day one since, after a while, you’ll both run out of steam. Your relationship needs time to really bloom. By putting everything out there right in the beginning, you might just run out of things to talk about a few months in.
- You genuinely miss each other between visits. Even though you talk every day, it’s just not the same as seeing each other in person. Your visits may be few and far between depending on the amount of distance, but you can just tell he’s anxiously awaiting the next trip the second you two say goodbye. Also? It’s all in the hug. That squeeze after you see him after weeks or months will tell you everything you need to know about how he feels.
