Long Distance Relationships

Lets of people these days struggle with the challenge of maintaining a strong connection with another who is located a long distance away. The two are unable to spend physical-time together because of the distance. What they do, then, is to take advantage of the communication tools available to come as close as they can to actually being with each other. Granted, while none are as a good as in-person interaction, they do help ease whatever frustration or sadness each might feel during their time of separation. Nevertheless, distance between two people or entities does create special communication challenges.


Perhaps the best part of  being with another is that it helps erase questions you might have about the other person. For instance, is the person having a good day? Are they in a good mood? Are they troubled? By actually experiencing their behavior, it is much easier to determine whether there is more on the other person's mind than just what they say. Communicating only via Skype, telephone, email or texting, or letter (Does anyone write letters any more?), it is for that other person to cover up true feelings they might be having. Thus, assuming two people are committed to eventually being together, they must work hard at being more open with each other than they are normally when together.


Openness is not as easy as it might sound when two people are separated by a long distance. To ensure this key element to any relationship remains in-tact, both parties must raise the bar in terms of how well they listen to the other, remember what the other has said, and asking questions to elicit more information from the other. Our relationships are about making ourselves happier, in part, by focusing on our prospective partner. If both players do their part when communicating with each other, then the barrier of long distance becomes much less formidable.