Absence makes the heart grow fonder. The anonymous poet who first wrote those words must have known the angst of a long-distance relationship. The longer you go without seeing your love the deeper the desire is to be with them once again.
It’s easy for that burning flame of desire to flicker out if loneliness sets in, but being miles apart isn’t a death knell for love. In fact, a recent study from the University of Utah and Queen’s University in Ontario found that distance can increase satisfaction, communication, and intimacy in a relationship.
Work, school and family affairs can all keep lovers apart. When you find yourself in a long-distance love affair, try the ideas below to keep the romance alive.
Send Flowers
Flowers are always a beautiful way to tell someone you’re thinking of them. Plus, they can be delivered to any location. The classic move is to send roses to your significant other with a personalized note stating your affection. The color selection is also important.
- Red is the color of passion, love, and romance.
- Yellow roses represent joy and happiness.
- Orange roses also express passion as well as excitement in a relationship.
- Lavender tells the recipient that the giver is eager to grow the relationship.
- Novelty colors can also be created by blending two or more shades together.
The bouquet of flowers will be a beautiful display that reminds your lover they’re on your mind even though there’s distance between you.
Send Tokens of Your Affection
From Medieval times through the Victorian era, love tokens were a very popular way to show affection for a long-distance lover and keep the flame alive. They were usually small gifts that could be worn or kept with the person as a reminder. Brooches like the one in Warrington Museum were one of the most popular love tokens 500 years ago. Other trinkets exchanged between long distance lovers included charms, belt buckles, and rings. One of the defining features of a love token was the ability to inscribe a few words of affection.
Send Love Letters
Since people first put pen to paper, love letters have come to epitomize romance. Not emails. Never emails. Handwritten letters that are mailed are much more tangible and personal than an email or text message. They may take a little more time, but some of the best things in life can’t be rushed.
Every now and then you can up the intrigue by sending a steamier letter that expresses a romantic fantasy. The next time you see each other you can turn the fantasy into a reality.
Plan Visits Together
Something you can easily do together from different locations is plan your visits to see one another. Apps like Tripit can be synced across multiple devices so you can both work on trip planning with one tool.
Rather than vacation somewhere together, take trips to visit each other at home. That way you’ll be immersed in their every day life and can feel more like a part of it, and there’s nothing more romantic than that. Each person can play host showing the other around the city and visiting favorite spots. You can also meet their co-workers, friends and family that you wouldn’t otherwise meet on a destination vacation.
You can also leave little reminders for your significant other to find. Discovering cute post it notes with messages, pictures from your trip or chocolate kiss candies will keep the fun going after you’re gone.
Have Distraction-Free Conversations
It’s important to give your partner your undivided attention when you do get to talk. That’s the only way to make a real connection and internalize what your partner is sharing. Distractions like email, television, etc. draw the focus away from what the other person is saying and create a disconnect.
An easy way to reduce phone call distractions is to use a video chat app or software. Seeing and hearing the person on the other line helps you stay focused on the conversation. It also gives you an opportunity to also take in their body language, which is a vital component of clear communication.
