15 HELPFUL TIPS For Long Distance Relationships... how to survive (+ thrive) in long distance dating

hey guys thanks for clicking on this video i'm so glad you're here we're going to be talking about relationships we're going to be talking specifically about long-distance relationships as i know is pretty common these days i have 15 tips for you guys today and hopefully find them helpful so first off i do want to say i have been in a long distance relationship i am now married to that man and we have been married for almost four years but we were in a long-distance relationship for the majority of our dating which was like two and a half years i feel like i've lived it i've experienced some things and i can give you some tips on how to survive it and also to thrive in it not just survive but to actually thrive i have three questions to ask before you even begin the long distance so if you're kind of contemplating getting in a relationship with this person these are the questions to ask yourself before you commit number one you need to determine the relationship okay you need to have a dtr talk really contemplate how serious this relationship is how serious you are about this person how serious they are about you if it seems like it's moving in a more serious direction then that's a good sign that long distance could possibly work for you number two is what stage of life you're in and also what stage the relationship is in so nick and i were only dating for two months before we committed to a long-distance relationship i wish i would have like sat down and really thought about where my life was going thought about what stage my life was at i know that both of us were very serious about not just having a relationship as a fling and so that did give me confidence to enter into it but at the same time our relationship was so new that we struggled with a lot of things just because we didn't know each other very well and it obviously is very hard to get to know each other long distance but it is possible so you just have to determine is this person going to be worth putting even more effort into getting to know them long distance and if they are then thumbs up for me and then the last one is is this person worth the wait is this person worth waiting months years however long you end up being in a long-distance relationship are they worth that can you see qualities in them that would be worth waiting around and putting that part of your life kind of on hold until you're able to be together again or if you end up getting married in the future is that person worth it to you and i think that will be pretty clear when you start thinking about how much you want to be with them how much you like them things you admire about them all that sort of stuff okay so now that you've asked those questions let's talk about how to survive in the long distance now whether you've just begun long distance or you've been in it for a while i think these tips can all help you so number one communicate every day whether that's text call email facetime there's all sorts of ways that we can communicate today like technology is amazing it is your friend make sure you are talking to them every single day the next one is try and begin and end your day with them whether that's a good night call or text a good morning text just something to get your mind thinking about them first thing and also the last thing you think about because it can be so easy to be distracted by what we do throughout the middle of our day our morning and our evening are like our down time our slow time before a lot of stuff seeps in so that's a great way to just have your heart remembering this person right when you get up and right when you go to bed the next one is make them a priority if you're not making them a priority it's not going to work and i know it's hard when you don't see them and you're not around them and you have other things that seem to be a bigger priority but truthfully it makes a world of a difference to that person if you have shown not just in words but indeed that they are a priority that you will drop plans to spend time talking or communicating with them or facetiming them make it known in your deeds that they are a priority so sometimes that does mean canceling some of your plans that's what nick and i had to do multiple times just so we could get a facetime chat in because we hadn't seen each other in a while and that little gesture meant a lot to both of us when we would sacrifice something in that was right in front of us to spend time with them on a screen okay the next one is very important communicate your expectations and also try to have as little expectations as possible this is just good relationship advice in general expectations are really what get people into arguments and fights nearly all of our fights stemmed from me having one expectation nick having another expectation and us not communicating what that was and just getting mad that the other person wasn't meeting that expectation so try not to have large expectations of that person and if you do expect something communicate that you are going to save yourself so much stress and like tiffs and arguments if you just express and communicate what your expectations are the next one is make plans for date nights yes i know it's hard because they're not physically with you but you can still have really fun long distance date nights like you can literally just cook a meal eat it and talk to them on facetime and feel like you're sitting across the table with them you can play games together you can watch a movie together nick and i did all these sorts of things think about a date that you would have with someone in person and try and think of a creative way to do that virtually make sure to switch it up so that it's not just the same old boring phase time call with nothing planned make a plan and make it specifically this is date night you know we're going to maybe ignore our texts or our phones unless you're using your phone you're just going to focus on them you're going to focus on doing something together and just really spend that quality time together my next tip is be exclusive to them don't date around don't be hanging out all the time with the opposite sex be exclusively dating them i know it's hard i know it's hard especially if you have friends of the opposite sex that you see regularly and you can be around you have chosen to enter a relationship and be committed to that person so be committed to them if you date around and are trying to have a long-distance relationship it's just not going to work my next tip is something fun that you guys can do together is read a book and then discuss it it could be literally anything it could be fiction non-fiction it could be your your favorite book and maybe they've never read it and you could read it together but so many fun conversations stem from having like a book discussion and what things stood out to them and also every time you're reading that book you're thinking about them oh i wonder if they're saying this or write down some notes so that you're excited for the next time you discuss the book all right my next tip is huge make plans to see each other as often as you can it is so important to have something to look forward to have something to count down the day still i know that nick and i had like well i don't know if he did i did because i liked looking forward to something but i had an app on my phone that had countdown days until i got to see him next as best as i could financially afford to visit him as often as i possibly could our longest stint of separation was between washington and colorado and so i did plan multiple trips to go down to colorado and see him and it made a huge difference it also was very important for me to have that on the calendar to look forward to and to both be excited about that if you don't have anything on the calendar it's really really difficult to be hopeful that things are going to work out i tell you what try your hardest to see them they are worth making the sacrifice financially do what you can see them as much as you possibly can the next tip i have is involve your family and your friends secret relationships are not thriving relationships and your friends and your family can help you in so many ways with support i know it was really important for my family and my friends to one be supportive of me in my relationship but it was also important for me to know that they liked him as well so i involved them in stories and anytime he would come and visit i made sure that people were around and could get to know him it was just very very important to me to have a support system that would encourage us pray for us and do whatever they can to support us in a very difficult season of long distance my next tip is kind of just a small one but might help you is make them your lock screen or your phone wallpaper so you can see them throughout your day every time you get a text or every time you check your phone for something you see them you're reminded of them it's just a little boost throughout your day to remember them when we enter into a long-distance relationship we think oh we will only be thinking of them it's not true especially if you have a busy schedule sometimes you get wrapped up in things but a sweet little reminder of their face is like oh yeah i love them i'm thinking about them send them a cute little text to say that you're thinking about them anything like that it does help throughout your day to see their face my next one is extremely important and that is to pray for them prayer is such a deep spiritual and emotional bonding agent it's crazy and and it even works now in my marriage when i am praying for nick i feel so much more bonded to him on a level that cannot be manufactured pray for them often pray for them every day if they're going through something and you know they're going through something pray for that ask for prayer all that kind of stuff pray for them and then my final tip that goes with that is pray with them i know some couples don't feel as comfortable praying with each other but if you feel comfortable and you feel confident praying with them it makes a world of a difference if you have burdens and heaviness or you're dealing with something you lay it out there they can pray for you you can pray for them the emotional connection when you pray with each other i cannot explain it you have to experience it and it helps so much when nick and i had seasons of really struggling with the relationship because we did it's not perfect we definitely struggled when we would pray with each other it made a huge huge difference like i felt way more connected to him especially if i was feeling very disconnected which is extremely easy to do when you're in a long distance relationship connection is so hard and so praying with them and praying for them those two things combined literally will be the bond that you didn't know you were missing and when you don't have that you really do try and muster up ways to feel connected but nothing nothing connects you like prayer to each other so that is my number one tip best thing that keeps a relationship strong and healthy is prayer so don't skip out on it but those are all my tips so i hope they help you guys my heart goes out to you long distance is not for the faint of heart it is a commitment it is hard but i hope that these tips can help you thrive in it and find fulfillment and joy even in the hardships and the struggles because you guys it will be worth it okay i love my husband we have a great marriage we struggled but we overcame and it is worth it please give this video a thumbs up if you found it helpful and i will see you in my next video [Music] you

Channel: Kendra Christine

Views: 18,677

Keywords: 15 tips for long distance, tips for long distance, tips for long distance relationships, how to survive long distance dating, long distance, christian dating, christian dating advice, advice for long distance relationships, relationship advice, christian relationship advice, christian, christian youtuber, advice, dating, dating long distance, we survived long distance, long distance success story, marriage advice, tips, dating tips, best dating tips, dating abroad, distance, dates

Id: 5SwMUsI1yms

Length: 13min 4sec (784 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 15 2022