Should i long distance relationship

First, in a government survey, the number of married Americans 18 and older who reported that they live apart from their spouse rose from roughly 2. Some respondents could well have been thinking of the time they emailed their partner while away on a business trip. The distance is still there, but it feels shorter and shorter. B efore videochat , before long-distance phone calls, there were letters. Written correspondence is how, historically, lovers have exchanged meaningful information over long distances.

As those nicknames attest, written expressions of adoration could be colorful and evocative. They could also, as a medium, leave a lot to the imagination. But in those early days, lengthy calls to far-flung loved ones were still too pricey for many people. During this transatlantic phase of their relationship, they only wrote letters and never talked on the phone. The next major development in romantic communication, of course, was the internet. Email, instant messaging, and videochatting, once widely adopted, made it feasible and affordable for couples to share even the most trivial details of their lives in real time, as often as they wanted.

It was almost the opposite of writing a letter in, say, the early to midth century , the goal of which was often to capture the most important things that had happened since the last letter. Such mundane transmissions were what helped Jess Lam, a year-old dentist in Los Angeles, get through four years of long distance with her boyfriend. More analog interactions still hold appeal, though.

Stanley Davidge, the network administrator who watches TV with his long-distance girlfriend, says sending old-fashioned mail also helps them feel close. Alex Bettencourt and Frantz Salomon have been together for three years, married for one, and long distance the whole time. Bettencourt lives in Boston, Salomon in Jacmel, a seaside town in Haiti.

They see each other about twice a year, text every day, and try to videochat once a week. The longest the couple has had to go without any contact at all is about a week—the inconsistency is a challenge, Bettencourt said, but it now seems normal enough. Obstacles to communication are also common for many military couples. Read: What life was like in America years ago.

It seems obvious that it would be better to be able to communicate at the speed of the internet, rather than waiting on the Pony Express for word from your beloved. You understand your communication networks for keeping in touch as being far superior to what came before.

W hen a couple is considering going long distance, immersive and real-time communication technologies might make the distance seem more manageable. Every time my partner and I visited one another, we ended up packing our schedule with every possible thing we could in order to make the most of the short time we were in the same place.

We enjoyed ourselves, but being constantly on the go so we could take advantage of our time together often proved exhausting. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

It often indicates a user profile. Log out. US Markets Loading H M S In the news. Strategy Contributors. Knowing you have a trip planned is half the fun of going on a trip, especially when it means seeing your significant other for the first time in a long time! Seeing each other in person will help you feel more connected, and it will help you be more involved in their lives. Visiting their favorite coffee shop, seeing their commute, meeting their friends, doing all these things will strengthen your connection and make the LDR possible in the long-run.

You can plan as many fun visits as you want and you totally should! You may not be able to put an exact end-date on how long you will be apart, but you should discuss how you want the course of the relationship to go. Creating a timeline can be a helpful way to chart out the future of your relationship, and establish an end goal.

Will you be together once one of you finishes school? Do you hope to end up in a specific city? Are you applying to jobs in the same places? Are you willing to move to the same city as their family? Are you willing to give up your current life to be with them? Regular relationships can be hard to manage, and long-distance relationships can often be even harder.

LDRs require a huge amount of open, straight-forward communication to properly work, and this can often be difficult to manage over the phone. Again, people have a difficult time doing this in regular relationships and believe it or not, distance does not make things any easier If you and your partner are having a hard time transitioning to a LDR, or are worried about whether or not your relationship will translate into a successful long distance relationship, consider turning to relationship experts.

Apps like Relish can help you and your partner navigate the tricky territory of long distance with expert advice from tried and true relationship coaches. Relish provides one-on-one, personalized coaching that will help you set and meet your relationship goals. Relish also provides tips, tricks and testimonials that will help you and your partner grow your connection.

Navigating LDRs can be difficult, especially if you already have a lot going on in your personal life. There is not a guidebook on how to navigate long distance relationships. Even if you follow all of these tips, it can still be hard to keep your connection alive when you are physically apart. Turning to a relationship coach is a great way to keep your relationship going strong despite the distance.

Relish can help long distance couples stay connected with interactive quizzes, unlimited one-on-one coaching and more. Try the 1 relationship training app free for 7 days. Install Now. With a degree in Psychology and over a decade of experience, Caitlin has made improving people's relationships both her career and her passion. About Us. Contact Us. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.

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Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Going old school Technology is making LDRs much easier these days.

Meeting up All the modern communication is making it easier than ever for couples to survive and thrive in LDRs, but no relationship should be entirely long-distance.