Dear Emma, 

I am in a long-distance relationship. I got to spend three weeks with my significant other over winter break, which was really great. They are attending a university on the west side of Washington, so the Cascades have us divided for the time being. Now that I’m back at school, I’m really missing them, as well as our cute little hangouts.  It’s so hard to go from seeing them in person every day to only getting to call, FaceTime or text. 

How do I adjust to being long-distance again without forgetting those amazing weeks together?

Thanks for the help!

Missing Them

Dear Missing Them,

I am sorry to hear you had to say goodbye (for now) to your significant other. Long-distance relationships can be really difficult, so kudos to you both for wanting to make it work. 

My first suggestion is to keep up with a regular calling/texting schedule. You both have your own lives that can probably get pretty busy, but you are committed to each other. Be sure you commit time to your significant other — however that looks for you both.

Maybe that means texting throughout the day and calling at night. Maybe you do not even have time for that much communication. If that is the case, try to reach out to them at least once or twice a day to let them know you are thinking about them. Even something as simple as a “good morning” text can mean a lot. 

If you have already established some sort of communication schedule, consider doing something out of the ordinary for “date night.” You could send them flowers, write them a sweet card or schedule a time to watch Netflix together. Anything that breaks up the monotony of texting and calling and texting and calling and … you get the picture.

If you want to keep your in-person time fresh in your mind, consider getting some of the photos you took together printed to put into a scrapbook. This could be a great way for you to reflect on your memories, or it could be a great gift for your significant other the next time you see them. Hint: Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.

Finally, you can start planning for the next time you see them. Maybe that will be over during spring or summer break. Whenever it is, see if you can find some fun adventures you can look forward to when you finally get to break the distance. It might be worthwhile to start planning a getaway together now. You don’t need to go far, perhaps you could just meet in the middle. Leavenworth is always a beautiful place to visit.

I am not sure how your partner feels about surprises, but you could surprise them with a trip to see them. Not everyone likes that though, so be sure you are taking their preferences into consideration when planning something like this. 

I hope some of these tips help!

Emma