4 Surprising Benefits of Long-Distance Relationships

I’m going to attempt the impossible.

That’s right, I’m going to talk about how great long-distance relationships are, kind of. To be more specific (as the title says) I’m going to go over the surprising benefits of long-distance relationships.

My goal is not to convince you to only do long-distance dating, but perhaps to help you not be as scared of it as most people are.

Historically, long-distance relationships are viewed as a last resort for couples who can’t be together in person. They’re seen as a difficult and lonely way to maintain a relationship, and many people assume that they’re doomed to fail.

We all have that friend who begs us not to go through the pain that leads to inevitable doom. (dramatic, I know)

But what if I told you that long-distance relationships have a surprising number of benefits that can actually make them better than traditional relationships?

Bold statement. Right?

Let’s begin.

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1. Increased Communication

This may seem a little ironic considering you rarely have the opportunity to spend time together in person, but if you do this properly you’ll actually have increased communication.

Communication becomes the foundation of your relationship.

Without the ability to touch and see each other in person, you rely solely on communication to maintain your emotional connection. This is challenging but also rewarding.

You have four main ways to communicate:

Text
Email
Video calls
Phone calls

Using all four of these will increase the level at which you connect.

With email, you can write out longer-form thoughts and really dive into your feelings and what’s going on in your life. It’s like journaling for your partner.

When you text, it’s quick updates of what’s going on through the day, cute “I miss you messages” and all the rest of the fun stuff.

You can call each other from time to time to hear their voice and video call when you have to see them.

I definitely recommend video calling regularly.

Whatever form of communication you use, you must be more deliberate and thoughtful with how you communicate. You can no longer rely on nonverbal cues or physical touch to express your emotions.

Now, you have to find other ways to show your partner how much you care.

This often leads to deeper conversations and a stronger emotional connection.

See what I mean?

You now have the opportunity to get to know each other on a deeper level. You aren’t sharing experiences or physical intimacy, and have to find new ways to connect. This leads to more meaningful conversations where you share your innermost thoughts and feelings.

Overall, your communication skills in general will end up improving too. You’ll be a better listener and a more effective communicator.

Not a bad perk.

2. Trust Building

Trust is essential in any relationship, but even more important when you’re in a long-distance relationship. When you’re physically apart from your partner, you have to rely on trust to maintain the emotional connection between you.

While this is challenging, it’s also necessary and rewarding.

You’ll have to trust that your partner is faithful and committed to the relationship. This is difficult for many people, especially in this day and age.

However, building trust in a long-distance relationship can help you develop a stronger sense of trust and intimacy with your partner.

One of the ways to build trust is through communication. (see point 1)

Trust and honesty will need to be built over time and will become the foundation of your relationship, as with any.

You’ll need to establish clear boundaries and expectations for your relationship to prevent misunderstandings.

When you trust your partner you end up developing better coping skills when faced with challenges or conflicts in the relationship and they’ll do the same for you.

Trusting your partner won’t be easy, but if you can trust someone in a long-distance relationship, you can trust anyone.

3. Independence & Personal Growth

To have a successful long-distance relationship, there will be a certain degree of independence that you may not have in a geographically close relationship. When you’re physically apart, you now have to rely on yourself for that emotional support and companionship.

It’s challenging but empowering. This leads to more personal growth.

It’ll make you more independent by encouraging you to make use of the extra time you have. You’ll pursue new interests and passions. You now have the time to focus on doing things by yourself.

Being reliant on yourself and your abilities can be daunting at first, but it will lead to you gaining more confidence. Independence is great!

Personal growth is one of the more obvious benefits of a long-distance relationship. You end up with more time with yourself, which means more time spent on (once again) personal growth.

That makes sense, right?

This extra time can be significant. Think of everything you can do!

One of the ways it can help you grow personally is by forcing you to learn to balance other aspects of your life, such as career, hobbies, interests, extra-curricular activities, etc.

You have more time for your own goals and passions, which can help you become a more well-rounded and fulfilled person.

You’ll now start reflecting on your own needs and desires more. You get to know yourself much better and gain a deeper understanding of your relationship.

This will lead to you being able to make better decisions about your future together.

Additionally, being physically apart means you now have to solve problems on your own. That means long-distance relationships help your problem-solving skills. You have to find new and creative ways to stay connected or resolve everyday problems.

Independence and personal growth are obvious benefits given the extra time you have, but some overlook how valuable they can actually be.

4. Exciting Reunions

Most people have a love-hate relationship with reunions. While they are exciting, it’s also bittersweet because if you were living in the same city, there would be no need for them.

One thing everyone can agree on though is that the reunions are exciting!

Being physically apart from your partner for an extended period of time builds up a lot of anticipation. The excitement and joy of being reunited can be intense and incredible. (especially the long-awaited s*x)

This gives you something to look forward to. You’re counting down the days to see your partner again which adds an extra sense of excitement and romance to your relationship — which can be thrilling.

The distance between each other makes the time you do spend together even more meaningful and memorable. Every moment you spend together suddenly becomes precious and valuable.

You’ll cherish those cuddles, those laughs, and even just holding hands. (We all love cuddles!)

Anticipating these reunions can actually help increase your emotional connection. Knowing you’ll be seeing each other again soon makes you want to do special things. You plan more extravagant dates, buy flowers (hint), and really treasure the time you do have.

You end up going to different cities and getting to know the two you live in even better. Reuniting means going out to eat at new restaurants and you can compare whose hometown has the better Italian food.

That’s why exciting reunions are an overall benefit to a long-distance relationship. It almost makes the challenging times apart worth it.

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So to wrap this up

I know you’re probably thinking that this is a bit of a stretch. In order to have a strong relationship, you have to be in the same city, to grow together.

I’m not disagreeing with you. However, we can’t ignore that there are some benefits to long-distance relationships.

No one prefers long-distance, but if you really care about someone, you do it anyway. So, if you’re going to do it, it’s important to stay positive and look at the upsides.

That’s what this is for.

This is to show you that there are benefits to long-distance relationships and if you do things right, you can experience them.

Ultimately, whether you’re close by, or distant, what matters most is the love and connection you share with your partner. If you truly love each other and are both reasonably understanding and open-minded, you can make this work!

We hope you enjoyed reading this and found it helpful!

We love you!

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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From The Good Men Project on Medium

What Does Being in Love and Loving Someone Really Mean?

My 9-Year-Old Accidentally Explained Why His Mom Divorced Me

The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex

The Internal Struggle Men Battle in Silence

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