A young woman was excited about meeting her long-distance boyfriend. The fluttering sensations increased when she received a disheartening video message seven days before leaving for Ireland. Her boyfriend canceled their meeting because his ex met with an accident. But the woman decided not to let go of her excitement.
When you start a long-distance relationship with someone, it can take months before you meet in person. All those text messages, video calls, and phone calls are the only few ways you’ve known each other so far. And then, the big moment arrives. You’re all set to meet that special person. Unfortunately, not every meeting has a happy ending.
Communication is key to building a healthy relationship. Dating and relationship expert Elena Murzello claims that it’s a potential red flag when your partner doesn’t want to communicate with you. However, some long-distance partners still end up having troubles in their relationships regardless of how well they communicate.
Everything seems picture-perfect. You’ve rehearsed well, and you can’t stop blushing, thinking about everything that’s going to happen after you meet your partner.
According to Elite Daily, experts agree that being open in a relationship is essential to building trust with your long-distance partner.
Just then, your phone rings, and you get a notification that the meeting is canceled. Most people have experienced something like this. The feeling of not being able to meet someone you care about after months of planning is enough to make anyone upset.
In the age of technology, you might think that maintaining long-distance relationships would be relatively easier than before. However, the lack of regular in-person meetings makes many of these relationships emotionally challenging. For example, a 29-year-old Redditor dreamed of meeting her boyfriend for the first time in person, only to be disheartened later. The user wrote:
“At 5:30 this morning, I received a video message and a long text that his ex-GF was in a serious car accident and that he would have to cancel. I’ve begged him not to, and I am trying to be supportive of what he is going through”.
Sometimes, love can blind you and make you take unnecessary risks. The promise of meeting the perfect stranger and falling in love is the reason why online dating has become so popular in recent years. Another person explained on Reddit about his sister’s secret love story and her meeting up with a stranger:
“My sister is travelling alone to another country to meet a male online (boy?)friend she’s never met IRL before. She’s also been asking for a place to stay from complete strangers.”
Several people were appalled by the idea of meeting a stranger all alone. Not only was it risky, but the concerned person had no clue if their long-distance relationship would even work or not. In general, research shows that such relationships are less stressful when understood to be temporary.
Many long-distance couples use video calls and texts to communicate. However, the relationship you have with your partner is mainly based on trust. And sometimes that trust can end up putting you in an uncomfortable situation? One woman wrote on Reddit:
“All was fine until an hour before we were meeting, and he asked for my address to send a black car to pick me up. I told him that was a first and was very gentlemanly, but I would like to meet him first before giving out my address”.
Long-distance relationships are likely to face more challenges than conventional relationships. This is because even though we’re more connected than ever, it’s difficult to build trust in these types of relationships, and there are people who’ll always try to take advantage of others.
In some scenarios, people do have a fairytale relationship with their long distant partners. It makes sense because they’ve seen each other virtually. The first meetings are always special. In a similar story, one person was overjoyed meeting her long-distance boyfriend for the first time. She explained in her post:
“I sold my car and used all of my savings to move in with my bf (25M)in another country. It’s the first time we’ve met IRL. Risky, but he convinced me there was nothing that could make him not love me. I was naive to believe it”.
Long-distance relationships have many benefits, too, claim experts like Lori Gottlieb, a physiotherapist specializing in relationships. She says that people in long-distance relationships pave the way for better communication and learning more about each other than normal relationships.
Recent research showed that LDRs are more successful than you think. According to The New York Post, around 60% of long-distance relationships function over the long term. The survey examined how long-distance couples maintain their relationship while apart and whether their relationship survived the distance.
According to Elite Daily, experts agree that being open in a relationship is essential to building trust with your long-distance partner. Susan Trombetti, CEO of Exclusive Matchmaking, points out how fears and insecurities are common in several long-distance relationships.
Sometimes heartbreak is unavoidable. Do you think long-distance relationships are better when understood as temporary or rather a “passing cloud?” Please tell us what you feel about what these people have been through in their long-distance relationships. Your comments are appreciated! Thanks for reading!