Many people who have experienced being in a long-distance relationship know the struggling of trying to keep their love alive. The problem does not really come from their willingness to try, but it springs from the challenges and obstacles that continuously make them feel emotionally exhausted. In other words, instead of being happy and inspired, sometimes an LDR causes them to feel scared, insecure and anxious about what their days of not being together would bring.
If you want to keep the fire of your long distance love alive despite the doubts, the only way to keep the flames burning stronger is to follow these inspiring pieces of advice.
1, Express and show love in everything that you do.
Expressing true and genuine love requires more than words. If you want to keep the love in your LDR, then you have to learn how to show it. How?
Even the smallest acts or gestures as long as they are done in love and sincerity can make a huge difference. Send them “good morning” text messages, ask them about their day, or randomly send them some cute packages or write them sweet love letters.
ALSO READ: 11 Ways to Show Love in a Long Distance Relationship
2. Refuse to feel sad about being in an LDR.
It’s normal to feel sad and alone when you are in a long-distance relationship. The feelings of loneliness and longing can happen almost every day, but it’s important that you don’t entertain these emotions as often as you can.
Try by doing other productive and fun things that can make you forget about what you are feeling at the moment.
ALSO READ: 10 Ways to be Happy in a Long Distance Relationship
3. Don’t let petty arguments put a dent on your bond.
Small arguments about trivial matters may not directly affect your relationship but make them frequent and repetitive, and you’ll see how they can slowly but surely put a dent on your bond.
In fact, these petty arguments are the top culprits that, if they accumulate in enough numbers, can end long-term relationships – and this includes LDRs that have endured for years.
4. Stop waiting for love to complete you.
If you want to keep long-distance love stronger, make sure that you’re not putting all your energy and your efforts in making it last. The thing about putting too much focus on your romantic relationship is, it can lead you to neglect other aspects of your life.
In order to give love, you have to learn how to love yourself first – and this can only be done if you feel whole and content with what you have outside of your relationship first.
5. Break free from the fears of being apart.
Don’t be afraid of what could happen next, because it will only prevent you from living your life to the fullest. Instead, focus on looking at a happier future when you’re finally together. More importantly, being afraid can also prevent you from accepting and appreciating what love has to offer.
6. Start accepting your present reality and focus on living it.
By accepting your reality as it is, you are opening yourself for all the possibilities that will come with being in a long-distance relationship. It also makes you braver and more courageous in facing doubts and uncertainties.
Being doubtful and losing faith in your relationship will only cause your love for your partner to fade because you will eventually equate loving and be loved in the present to hurt and heartbreaks in the future, fearing that your LDR might not work in the end.
7. Appreciate your partner’s thoughts and efforts.
Just like how you want your efforts to be appreciated, you should also be grateful for the things and actions that your partner does for you. When a person feels that what they are doing makes their significant other happy, these acts of love can strengthen the foundation especially of LDRs that are already on the brink of falling apart.
8. Learn from the consequences of always over-thinking.
Overthinking and overanalyzing never solve anything especially if you are in a long-distance relationship. All these realities that you have created in your head do more harm than good. Instead of solving a problem or neutralizing an argument, their effects can actually make things worse.
If you love your partner enough, you have to give them a chance to explain their side of the story and not rely on your own judgment. Focus on resolving issues rather than finding more ways to complicate them more.
ALSO READ: How to Resolve Trust Issues in a Long Distance Relationship
9. Focus on the good things and learn from the bad.
It’s true that every relationship has their ugly stages, especially during the worst fights and arguments between couples. While these memories can ruin a beautiful love story, it’s important to shift your focus on the good things, the happy memories and the good times that you shared together.
If you want to keep your long distance love stronger after a fight, lean on these happy memories to get you through the bad times.
ALSO READ: How to Fix a Long Distance Relationship After a Fight
10. Always choose love during the toughest moments.
In connection to the previous sections, you have to always make the conscious effort of choosing love above everything. Love, with all its qualities of kindness, patience, and selflessness, can help you understand why some days in your love story are not perfect.
Love will help you realize that despite the imperfections that you have in your relationship, it’s still worth fighting for.
ALSO READ: 11 Signs of True Love in a Long Distance Relationship
11. Remember why you are still holding on.
Remember why you are still here, holding on to that person no matter how hard and challenging an LDR is. Remind yourself of all your sacrifices as a couple, remember your dreams and reminisce the moments that made you realize that you are right where you belong: in the arms of someone you love, someone who chose to love you through thick and thin, in sickness and in health.
12. Fight for what you have, together.
Never face the challenges of your LDR alone, especially when it comes to moments that challenge your love for each other. You are in a relationship and being in one means having another soul to hold your hand in journeying through life.
It takes a tremendous amount of faith to keep a long distance relationship’s love alive. By choosing and believing that you can make it work, you are already one step closer to creating a lasting bond that can be strong enough to stand the test of time and distance.