Staying connected in a long distance relationship can be challenging because it can be hard to feel close to someone who is literally miles and miles away. Email and Instagram are great, but if a dating relationship is going to survive, it needs more TLC than a phone call here, text message there. You need to actually spend more time together in new and different ways.
So how does one overcome the great divide of distance and nurture a relationship from afar? With a little help from modern technology and a lot of creativity, you’ll find it’s not as hard as you think!
Spend an hour in prayer together? Sure, why not! Watch a movie together? Totally possible! Thanks to modern day advances, long distance relationships can be just as fun and fruitful as the ones couples enjoy when they live a few miles apart.
In fact, when you take the time and effort to really work on any relationship, science and history prove that it will be stronger as a result. By working together to keep your relationship growing, you and your partner will find that dating across the miles can have just as many benefits as drawbacks.
Have fun reading through these unique and fun ways to spend time together in a long distance relationship and enjoy the great places it will take you!
Ask Each Other Questions
Maybe you’ve run out of things to talk about, or so you think. If you’re having a phone call that feels like it’s fading fast, try playing the question game. With creative prompts right at your fingertips, you’ll soon be connecting so well that you’ll feel like you’re sitting side by side, not miles apart.
The great thing about asking each other questions is that it often opens up a side of you that would otherwise remain closed for a long time. Enticing conversation is sometimes hard to come by even when you’re sitting right across from each other. The question game is a must to keep the connection in long distance relationships strong.
Go To Adoration Together
You can’t sit in the same pew in the same chapel, but who’s stopping you from spending an hour together in front of the Blessed Sacrament? Set a time where you and your partner will both meet together spiritually and give each other intentions to pray for ahead of time.
If you really want to plan the date out, make a list of what specific prayers you’d like to say. A rosary, litany, whatever prayer you choose, say it together. Once in prayer, you’ll find yourself connected on a level much higher than just sharing a couple of drinks over dinner. There isn’t much that can strengthen a relationship quite like praying together!
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.“ Matthew 18:19-20
Spend Time Together on Video Chat
FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts – they all provide the opportunity for couples to spend time together face to face. In 2019 you would think that video chatting would be the obvious choice, but with as hectic as life is, it’s easy to rely on the convenience of a quick email or text message on the go.
Long distance relationships can really flourish when you take the time to sit down and really connect with each other through video. Being able to see each other makes your time together more intimate and can help you feel like you’re not really that far apart after all.
Worried about the date being awkward? Cross these items off of your list before accepting (or sending) the call:
- Get dressed like you would for a date in person. Ladies, that means make up and gents, something other than the workout clothes you just came home in!
- Have a plan for what you’re going to talk about. Make a cheat sheet of questions or things that you’ve been wanting to discuss with each other.
- Que the music. Sometimes the background silence can make video chatting awkward. Put on a favorite playlist in the background to add an element of comfort.
- Relax! Be comfortable knowing that if this person truly likes you for who you are, there is nothing you can do or say (within reason) on a video chat that will change that fact!
Pray a Novena
Whether a 9 or 30 day novena, you can’t go wrong with this way of spending time together. A novena is a powerful prayer usually said in anticipation of a special intention or feast day coming up. Father Jim White put it beautifully when he said that, “Novenas are about inner healing, obtaining special graces, transformation and growing in virtue and holiness.”
Choose a novena for a specific cause that you both agree on, pick the time of day that you’ll pray it, and get started!
Maybe you want to pray about where your relationship is going or have a specific patron saint you’d like to pray to, there is no shortage of novenas available to you. The bonus of praying a novena together is that in addition to bringing you and your partner closer together, it will lead you both closer to the faith – and that’s always a win!
Watch a Movie Together
If you think that people in long distance relationships can’t do the same cozy nights in that couples in the same city do, think again! With a little compromise (whose turn is it to pick the movie this week?) and working around time zones, easy dates like movie nights can be a great way to spend time together.
Pop a big bowl of popcorn, grab your favorite movie drink and curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket and your phone. Once you’ve got your date on speaker phone, synch the start of your movie choice for the night and have fun watching the same movie at the same time! Be sure to keep the remote handy to utilize the pause button if your commentary gets excessive!
Conclusion
Don’t let the fact that long distance relationships can be tough get you down. There are many couples who have not only survived, but thrived while staying connected through the miles. When you feel things are getting tough or need a little pick me up, try some of the unique ideas above to reconnect and keep your relationship rolling.
