460 miles away, a 6-hour-and-45-minute drive, an hour-and-35-minute flight, and a 161-hour walk away from Cincinnati lives my best friend. It never ceases to amaze me how we can keep up our friendship even when it is divided by a space that seems infinite. We first met many years ago, but it was not until four years ago that we became inseparable, our friendship took a lot of time to get where we are today. If it were not for the endless phone calls and hours spent texting each day, it would be hard to call her my best friend. While many times it may seem like the world has purposefully tried to separate us, challenge us, and tear us apart, we always find a way to get around the obstacles between us.
I do not say this for any other reason than to remind you that distance is only a small obstacle in friendship and there are many solutions.
One of the most important things you can do to maintain a long-distance relationship is to communicate. Regardless of the circumstances—no matter how cliche or overused—whether it is a friend, family member, or significant other, communication is the foundation of all relationships. Without the physical closeness that is experienced by someone who lives nearby, communication is required to fill the space that distance creates, to recreate emotional closeness and trust.
Staying connected through calls, video chats, and messages can keep any long-distance relationship strong and healthy by ensuring both people feel valued. When we choose not to communicate with one another, we increase the distance that separates us.
Another thing I have learned that is significant in maintaining a long-distance relationship is to plan visits. Knowing that you can see your best friend provides both parties with a sense of excitement and gives them each something to look forward to, and when you finally get to see that “someone” in person, you can build shared memories that make the friendship or relationship seem more real or worth the distance.
Regular visits help to maintain relationships by reducing the feeling of isolation that comes with “your person” living hundreds of miles away.
It is also important to listen to the other person and support them. In doing so, you can create a sense of trust and emotional balance with your friend or partner. Even if you can not be there in person to support them, being a good listener exemplifies that you value the other person’s thoughts and emotions and are willing to be there as someone they can talk to, ultimately strengthening the bond between you and the other person. Offering support by offering advice or celebrating achievements reassures the other person that even from a distance, you are there for them.
The support provided enables both people to feel cared about and understood, making the relationship more resilient to the distance that divides them.
Yes, it is important to communicate, visit, and support, but the most significant tip of all is to just care and to want to be a part of the other person’s life. To speak from personal experience, I would not be as close with my best friend now if it were not for our mutual want of involvement in the other’s life. My best friend and I talk most days, see each other twice a year, and support each other, but it would all be irrelevant if we did not want to be a part of each other’s lives. Because we want to be together, we communicate, we plan visits, and we support. Effort will always be the most important thing in a long-distance relationship. Without it, the distance would feel way too hard to overcome.