Long distance relationships are tough, no doubt about it, but they are not impossible and you can certainly survive tough situations if you prepare yourself for it. Here are several ways to survive a long distance relationship with little or no drama, from someone who has been there and done that!
TRUST
You have to trust that your significant other is going to be faithful to you even when you are separated for long periods of time. There is no way to know what your partner is doing at every minute of everyday, so if you don't just trust him or her, you will drive yourself crazy. OK, so you're thinking, 'easier said than done,' right? Wrong! Trust is a choice, and in any relationship, you either make that choice or you don't. Once you have decided that someone is trustworthy, you must just believe that you are right in trusting him/her. If something occurs to break that trust, well shame on them, but not shame on you. If you give your trust to someone you care about or love, you are doing the right thing.
Beyond hard proof of infidelity, you must just stick to your choice to trust. This is never more important than in a long distance relationship. When you do not see or even talk to a person every day, it makes it easy for suspicion to build. If you sense that happening, you must remind yourself that you trust this person, and therefore your suspicions are unwarranted. If you are dating someone you do not trust, the relationship will not be a very happy one, long distance or otherwise.
STAY POSITIVE
No one wants to call to talk to someone who sounds gloomy or sad. If your love is far away, be excited and happy when (s)he calls, even if you feel sad. You can certainly talk about the negative things in your life, but try not to answer the phone with that in mind. Think about it in terms of yourself; if every time you called your long distance lover, (s)he was gloomy and negative, you would hesitate to call. So take it upon yourself to be cheerful. Joy is contagious and even if your loved one is grumpy him/herself, your cheery disposition is likely to help cheer him/her up too! If you both adopt this attitude, you will look forward to calling one another and gain more enjoyment from your phone calls.
GET A LIFE
If the man or woman you are in a relationship is the focus of your life, long distance will likely result in your becoming depressed. If you have lost some of yourself in concentrating on your relationship, now is the time to re-claim, or even re-invent who you truly are. Take the opportunity to get back in touch with friends you may have forgotten while you were building your relationship. It is natural for couples to hang out with other couples. Now that you are not always going out as a couple, reconnect with your still-single friends.
You may also want to use your time alone to start a hobby you have never had the time for before. The worst thing you can do with your alone time, is to sit around and focus on the negative aspects of having a long distance relationship. This is how depression and suspicion will find their way into your life. You may have thought that your life could not be complete with your love not beside you every minute, now is the time to see that you are strong and independent. You can learn to love yourself again, and therefore strengthen your relationship in the long run!
KEEP IT ALIVE
You must find ways to keep the relationship alive even while you are apart. There are many things you can do to help in this area. Hand written letters or sending small items to say you are thinking of your love are so much better than email. Sending something thoughtful, the homemade cookies you make that he loves, the wine from your hometown that she misses when she's away, an item you spotted in the store that simply reminded you of him/her, says that you are thinking of your love and can go far in keeping your relationship alive.
Email is great and easy to do everyday, but the sentiment of taking the time to hand write a letter or send a thoughtful gift is hard to replicate in an email. Have some spicey phone calls. This one you can take as far (or not) as you are comfortable with, but getting a little sexy with your lover is a way to keep the fire burning, even when you are far apart.
Use modern technology to your advantage. Email might not be quite as personal as a handwritten letter, but it is cheaper and quicker. Through email you can talk to your lover on a daily basis. Find out the best cell phone plan for text messaging and calling long distance. Texting each other is a way to instantaniously respond to one another about regular daily events. Better yet, get a webcam. Nothing beats being able to see your love in real time. There are websites that offer video call services, some for free, and this would make it easy to actually see each other often, if not in person.
MAKE THE MOST OF VISITS
When you do get the opportunity to be with the one you love, make the most of it. You may be dealing with difficult emotions while you are apart from your lover. You may be angry at the situation or feel that it is not fair. When you finally get to see him/her is not the time to unleash these emotions. Especially if your time together is fleeting, you need to remind yourself to be happy that you get to be together. See the bright side. You can certainly talk about the way you feel, and you should, but not right away, and not for the entire night or weekend, or whatever the time frame is that you have together.
Plan your time together before you get together. Make sure you both know what to expect. While surprises can be good, you don't want to have a day filled with running around and sight-seeing planned, only to find out your love was looking forward to a relaxing day alone with you at home. If you want to plan a surprise, just make sure it is something (s)he will be happy to receive.
It's true that long distance relationships can be tough, but tough situations can serve to make us stronger if we let them. Take it from someone who endured a long distance relationship for years, stay positive, make the most of things, and above all, trust. If you can do these things, you can survive a long distance relationship and even come out stronger in the end!