Chip Chick
The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer.
In my senior year of high school, I was dating a girl I really liked. We had been dating for almost 3 years and were convinced we would spend the rest of our lives together.
So when it came time to start applying to colleges, we applied to several of them together to increase the odds we would be accepted into the same college. Unfortunately, it would seem fate knew something we didn’t because we both ended up being accepted into different colleges. Furthermore, we were accepted into colleges several hours away from each other.
At this point, we had to have a serious discussion about the future of our relationship. Inevitably, the idea of a long-distance relationship was brought up. While I was open to the idea in the beginning, the closer we got to needing to make a definitive decision, the less optimistic I was that we could pull it off.
I had heard nothing but bad things about long-distance relationships, so I naturally decided it was best for us to part ways for the move to college. While that was – in the end – the best decision for both of us (we are both happily married now), long-distance does not have to spell the end of your relationship. It’s all going to come down to doing a few things right and not falling for some of the myths about long-distance relationships I bought into as a 17-year-old.
So first, let’s look at a few common myths surrounding long-distance relationships.
Myth #1: Believing “It’ll Never Work.”
When I asked some of my family about long-distance relationships, they all told me the same thing – “it’ll never work.”
As an educated and experienced relationship coach, I now know this is just not true. Long-distance is hard, but it is not as complicated as people make it out to be. The relationship will survive as long as you are excellent communicators and great at showing love and appreciation in multiple ways (FaceTime, Zoom dates, Emails, texting, etc.).
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