Swamp of Love: Making your long-distance relationship work

When you meet your high school sweetheart, it seems like nothing in the world could possibly go wrong; your head’s in the clouds and you’re never more than 10 feet away from your significant other during your free time. Life is perfect, that is, until you go to college. A lot of high school couples experience the awkward, “Okay so I got into UF and you got into FSU (are you sure he’s a keeper?) phase, and have no idea what to do. Almost always, they choose to break up without even thinking twice. Many people think that long distance relationships don’t work, but I’m here to tell you that they do if you take the right steps to make it that way.

The main thing to remember in a long distance relationship is that you have to make the other person feel that they are still involved in your life. The first few weeks are HORRIBLE. Both of you will wonder what the other is doing, who he or she is doing it with, and if you will talk about it later. This is where the involvement comes in. Make sure you keep your significant other in the loop of your life, whether it’s how your first day of classes were or how hard you went at Grog last night, these little bits of information will put their mind at ease.

Truthfully, this is what will keep your relationship afloat. That’s not just long distance relationships either. Open means of communication are so important and it’s really hard for our young, thick skulls to realize that. Visiting on the weekends and sending flowers “just because” are great, but they don’t let your boyfriend or girlfriend know that they’re still with you even when they aren’t.