’Hurst how-to: Long distance relationships

+Mantaining+a+long+distance+relationship+can+be+one+of+the+hardest+things+to+do+for+a+college+students.+Visiting+each+other+during+every+break+can+mitigate+the+pain.+

Contributed photo

Mantaining a long distance relationship can be one of the hardest things to do for a college students. Visiting each other during every break can mitigate the pain.

Cheyanne Crum, Staff Writer

As Valentine’s Day weekend finally ends, those of us in long-distance relationships who did not get to spend the day having romantic, cheesy romance movie worthy dates, can finally begin to relax and go back to accepting the fact that we cannot see our partners until Spring Break.

Now most of the time, not having your boyfriend around is fine. You just have a built-in excuse if you do not want to do something with friends: “Oh sorry, that is the only time that I can talk to him,” or “Oh man, I’m going to see her that weekend.” However, when that dreaded weekend of Feb. 14 arrives, let’s face it, the whole distance thing stinks.

A few guidelines on how to survive a long-distance relationship include: making sure to talk to each other, make time to do so, be able to function on your own, make some cute ways to make the time seem like it is going faster (even when you know it is not) and plan visits.

It is great to be that couple that cannot survive without the other person … for some people. For others, it is when it is convenient. A long-distance relationship requires an obnoxious combination of both.

You need to be clingy when you can and when you have time to talk, but you need to be able to do stuff on your own, too. The other half of your couple cannot always be there. Join some clubs or do whatever you can to figure out who you are without the relationship. Just make sure that you are still there when your boyfriend or girlfriend needs you. Otherwise, what is the point?

I know that it is difficult to find time to talk to boyfriends and girlfriends when all you want is for them to come over and watch movies, but Skype can be your best friend. With LakerVapor, it does not always go as well as it should. Half the time you are trying to be cute and flirty for your boyfriend, your face ends up frozen with one eye open, your tongue out and your mouth contorted in some unnatural angle.

Worse than LakerVapor is when you cannot find somewhere to sit alone for a while and talk to them uninterrupted. Having your own room back at home had never seemed so luxurious until you are trying to have a serious conversation on Skype and you have roommates bouncing in and out of your shared room, oblivious to your somber voices.

One thing that my boyfriend and I do to help us still feel close, is sending a daily selfie to each other. It may seem dumb and way too high school-ish, but it helps to make you feel like you are a part of their day, even when they are very far away. A friend of mine laughed at this idea while she watched me take my picture one day. She eventually started doing it with her own long-distance boyfriend.

If you ever run low on ideas to keep the relationship going, when there is still four months left until you see them, Pinterest and Google are wonderful places to find different tips and tricks. These include themed care packages, Skype dinner dates or planning short weekend visits. I attempt to send my boyfriend a care package once a month during the school year. Normally they end up being “month-long-sugar-high” packages, but hey, it is the thought that counts.

Plan visits when you have breaks from school. If it is possible to visit him or her next Spring break, do it! It will make both of you feel better and hopefully it gets you out of this insane amount of snow.

The last piece of advice that I can give is do not get discouraged by that look of pity most people give when they hear the words “long-distance relationship.” Visit each other when you can, talk on the phone, text and Skype when you cannot. Make the most of all the time you get together.