Long distance relationships are always going to be difficult. Being apart from the person you love is never easy. However, just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s worth giving up on, which is why – if you’re in a long-term relationship – you need to learn how to go about keeping the spark alive, even when you’re miles and miles apart.
Dating and the definition of a relationship has changed so much since the invention of the internet. No longer do we have to rely on physically meeting someone in real life. Many, many people have found love online. And though there may be challenges to having a long distance relationship, daily communication does not have to be one of them.
In the days of romantic novels, letter writing was the go-to option for long distance lovers, and while love letters are insanely romantic, they aren’t exactly practical, are they? Letters take days sometimes weeks to arrive – whereas modern technology has meant that you can communicate with anyone, almost anywhere in a matter of seconds.
When it comes to keeping the spark alive in a long-distance relationship, technology can make navigating the complex minefield of long-distance love somewhat easier to manage and endure.
Wondering how – and what pieces of tech to use – have a read of our guide below!
Smart devices make communicating easier
One of the fantastic things about smart devices – think iPhones and iPads and all other kinds of smartphones and tablets – is the fact that they make communicating far simpler and easier. They also make communicating far more accessible. If you have a smartphone you can pretty much send a message or email from anywhere, as long as you have internet access, you’re sorted. You can easily communicate regardless of where you are located.
Video chatting offers an ideal way to stay in touch
A great way to stay in touch and speak face to face is via video chat. Whether it’s FaceTime, Skype or Whatsapp, you can easily keep in contact with your partner via video chat. Video chatting offers a great way to stay in touch regardless of where each of you is located. You also have the option of sharing video messages and longer videos by learning how to add movies to iTunes for instance. The ability to send video messages has changed everything when it comes to staying in touch in a long distance relationship.
Instant messaging is easy, free and unlimited
Thanks to the internet, instant messaging is easy, free and completely unlimited. As long as you have internet access and either use iMessage or a third party app like Whatsapp or Viber, you can message your partner as often as you like, from wherever you are. Being able to message your loved one as and when you want to, without having to worry about the cost of text messaging makes communicating with each other far simpler and easier.
Often, the hardest part about being in a long distance relationship is the concept that you cannot speak to your partner as and when you want and need to. It can get very lonely and because of that, sometimes, especially since smart tech has made it so easy, you may want to communicate a lot more. If one partner is constantly wanting to chat and message, the other may start to feel over-whelmed.
It is good to discuss boundaries such as these:
- good times to chat, video and message (especially when you live in different time zones and/or have opposite work schedules)
- acceptable language for when one or the other is busy and can’t communicate at that moment
- how much and how often communication is expected by each partner
- if either party wants to be included in chats with friends and family
- acceptable ways to resolve issues that do not include ghosting
Smart technology has completely changed the way in which you can communicate with each other and has made managing a long distance relationship that little bit easier and less stressful. It can make you feel more connected even though you are miles and miles apart. It truly is an amazing thing!