What's your opinion on long-distance relationships? Can they work?

Long-distance relationships are not inherently good or bad. But they are always challenging.

What makes it really difficult is that being away from your partner means missing some of the most important parts of intimacy – i.e. physical touch, being close, spending time in each other’s company having experiences together.

To give long-distance a good shot, you have to:

Have a plan for when you will next see each other – You need a date when you know for sure you’ll be together again, and it needs to be at least once every couple of months.

Both of you have to make the effort – If one person is doing all the work, they’ll become resentful. If you both aren’t committed to making it work, it WILL FAIL. Period.

Be EMOTIONALLY close even if you’re not physically close – It’s important not to act distant just because there is distance between you. Share your concerns and day-to-day issues with your partner, express your feelings, introduce them to friends when you talk on Skype. Stay a part of each other’s world and be open and honest about everything.

Don’t make every conversation about how much you miss each other – You can’t spend all of your relationship being miserable just because you’re apart. Stay positive and focus on things you CAN or WILL do together in the near future.

Hopefully, long-distance isn’t something you have to do forever. It’s often a temporary period couples have to go through until one person can move or has a career change. It’s important not to immediately give up on something amazing if you can find a way to hold it together until you’re close again.

To learn more about long-distance relationships and how to make a commitment last, check out Matthew's video coaching program Keep The Guy.