The Benefits of a Long Distance Relationship

I met my long term girlfriend in the final year of university. Of course this is a great place to meet people and also a great place to get to know someone when you have few responsibilities and your whole life ahead of you. There is just one downside which is that come the end of your time there you will likely be returning to your respective homes which may be miles apart. In our case we were moving back home to Oxford (her) and Bournemouth (me) which could have been bad news. I read around the web how to make a long distance relationship work, and I even wrote a few articles on the topic myself; and we’re still together today now living with each other in London.

While these articles were helpful though, and the tips probably helped somewhat to ensure we managed to keep the ‘fire’ alive and fit lots of journeys to each other in around a busy lifestyle, what all of them failed to mention is that actually there are some good things that can come out of a long distance relationship. If you’re just about to go into a long distance relationship then, you should be aware that it’s not all bad news, and that there are some positives to look forward to as well. Here I’ll share with you what I found to be the positives of a long distance relationship. Focus on these and you might find it all a little easier.

Seeing a New Place

During my modest time on Earth I’ve lived in Bournemouth, Guildford, Leeds and now London and each of them has come to feel like home. This is a great experience and the only way to really know a place so that you can find the hidden bars and clubs and so that you know what it’s like to be a local somewhere rather than just a passing tourist.

And thanks to my long distance relationship I’ve also found that I can pretty much count Oxford among the places I really know. I’ve travelled there countless times, spent whole weeks staying there and gone to the town for nights out, shopping and romantic days out. Getting familiar with a completely new place has been one of the best things to come from our long distance relationship for me anyway.

Doing Special Things

One thing you’ll find when you’re in a long distance relationship is that every time you meet up it becomes a special occasion. This means that you aren’t just going to spend the day sitting in front of the television as you might in a ‘regular’ relationship and will instead be more likely to head out for a nice meal, or to go for a long romantic walk. In some ways this is a negative – because it means that you don’t get to experience ‘real life’ together in the same way – but on the other hand it also means that you get lots of great experiences and happy memories as a result.

Getting More Time

If you’re in a long distance relationship then chances are that you’re planning on moving closer at some point in the future. This means that you can look at your long distance relationship as a kind of a prelude and use it as a chance to focus on some other areas of your life. I found for instance that this was an ideal opportunity to focus on my work projects and also to spend more time with friends – which becomes harder when you’re living together. In particular I spent 18 months living with my best friend which is something we always planned to do when we were younger. If I had never been in a long distance relationship then this opportunity would probably never have arisen.

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