by Stefani Andrews

Created on: June 29, 2009

Relationships are difficult enough to navigate when you have your significant other living just across town. Imagine having your loved one hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Imagine not being able to run right over with chicken soup when they are feeling ill. Or not being able to simply give them a hug when you're feeling a little upset. Or not being able to pop in for a surprise picnic lunch when they're having a rough day at work. With the success of the Internet, long distance relationships are becoming more and more common. Yes, it is much harder that can't be denied. There are obstacles that you must overcome in order to make your love last, obstacles that most couples simply do not have. But, it can be done. You can be the happily married couple that met one day on vacation, or met when you found yourselves on the same side of some petty argument in a chat room.

Most importantly, you must establish the rules and boundaries of the relationship. Since you're so far away, it's hard to know what's going on with the other person. Trust is essential to a successful relationship, so some rules and agreements can go a long way. This can be things like, exclusivity. If you are not ready to date this person exclusively, be honest about it. If you are, make sure they are on the same page. Or at the very least that you know what page the other is on. Maybe you are uncomfortable discussing certain things until you get to know one another better. Make that clear, so that you are not cause off guard if it comes up too quickly.

Make it a point and a goal to speak every day. Any relationship takes commitment, and this is especially true of long distance relationships. Part of building trust and commitment is communicating. Even if you can only talk for five minutes, it's better than nothing. Your relationship has to be made a top priority. Luckily, communicating with your far away sweetie has never been easier. From text messages, to instant messaging, to email, to the phone, to the webcam; all are designed to make communicating easy. And with lovely inventions like Skype, you don't even have to worry about high phone bills anymore. During these communications, it's vital that you express your feelings. A lot of the time you won't have the luxury of reading your sweetie's body language and knowing what they're feeling. You only have the words, so it's important that any feelings get expressed. Now is not the time to be shy. It's

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