Love cannot survive without trust – and this is true especially if you’re in a long-distance relationship. Trust is the most difficult to build in any type of commitment and yet, it’s also the most fragile especially if you just hit it at the right spot. Just like that, a single crack has the power to destroy the strongest relationship into ruins.
If you’re in an LDR and you did something that made your partner lose their trust in you (or if you’re trying to forgive a lover who failed your test of honesty and loyalty), then this article is for you.
Here are some of the ways on how you can resolve trust issues in a long distance relationship.
1. Be open and talk about the past and present issues together.
Communication is key, as the common saying goes. Aside from talking about past problems that almost ended your relationship, it’s important to prevent other issues that can potentially trigger a similar circumstance.
For instance, do you ever feel that some of the things that your partner does make you question their commitment – but you’re just too hesitant to comment on it? Do you sometimes feel cheated on when your partner spends too much time with someone else, but you don’t want to appear immature or paranoid?
It’s important that you disclose these doubts and feelings to your partner and let them know how the things they do affect you.
2. Don’t let past mistakes haunt your relationship.
People always make mistakes and what is sad about this reality is that, no matter how much you regretted what you did in the past and how sorry you were for doing it, it can always come back to haunt your relationship.
Sometimes, couples use past arguments and deploy the guilt of past mistakes in order to make a point or even to win a fight. It’s clearly an unfair move and you should stop hurting each other this way.
3. Remind yourself that people do change.
In connection with the second section, you have to always remind yourself that people do actually change for the better. You have to move on and forget about the kind of person that your partner was when they did something in the past that made you question their loyalty.
Just the fact that they’re here with you right now means that they were willing to do everything just to fix your relationship. They stayed and they’re doing their best to be a better person for you and for the promise you made together.
4. Prove to your partner that you’ve learned your lessons.
If you were the reason why there are trust issues in your relationship right now, you have the responsibility of assuring your partner that you’ve learned your lessons. You have to make an effort to make them feel that you understand how what you did hurt them and that you never want that to happen again.
5. Make some changes and let your bad habits go.
Furthermore, if you do want to be a better person for your partner, make sure that you constantly keep your habits in check. Stay away from the things that could trigger another similar circumstance because aside from the fact that it could weaken an already fragile bond, the simplest mistake can have the power to finally end your relationship for good.
6. Start over and give your relationship another chance.
It’s not easy to start over after a big fight that made your partner doubt you but that’s the only choice that you both have to take if you still want to make your relationship work. It means giving each other the chance to start with a clean slate, without the fear of being judged for the mistakes that were done in the past.
It’s a stage of rebuilding your bond as a couple and creating a new commitment that you promise to honor and never to betray again.
7. Let go of the people who are bad for your relationship.
If one of the causes of the trust issues in your relationship is caused by a particular person or a group of people, then you have to make a choice. You’ll know very well if you’re in the presence of toxic and unhealthy social circle because your associations with them will always get you in trouble.
If a particular person (like a former lover or someone who is is obviously interested in you) is already affecting your relationship, then you have to make the choice of completely letting them go.
8. Always choose to tell the truth no matter how hard it is.
Trust issues in a relationship often happen because of the absence of one important choice that every couple should practice: choosing to tell the truth no matter how difficult it is.
A commitment built on lies and deceits will never survive especially if you’re in a long-distance relationship. Distance and time are already hindrances that can limit the chance of being truly happy in an LDR. Add lying and dishonesty to the equation, and it’s just a matter of time until you lose the person you love.
9. Start the healing process together.
Healing starts when you finally admit that your relationship is not perfect. However, nothing is unfixable as long as both of you still believe in your love for each other. You can start by creating new and better memories as a couple.
Heal together and hold each other’s hands during the most difficult moments of bringing back the trust in your relationship.
Trust issues caused by past mistakes can change your relationship but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Just by learning from what happened or even realizing that you should have more faith in your partner are just two of the many takeaways that you can get from this experience.
Hopefully, this article can help you save your love story and help you trust your partner again – because something as beautiful as what you have right now is always worth saving.