Sure, long-distance relationships come with their stressors. But surprisingly, they come with health benefits as well.
In a time when technology makes long-distance relationships even more possible, there are more people than ever engaging in unions with many miles between them.
Just how does all that space between significant others become health benefits? The answers may surprise you.
A couple holds hands. | Wavebreakmedia/iStock/Getty Images
Long-distance relationships build your communication skills
Think about all the times you’ve heard a friend complain that their significant other isn’t telling them how they feel. Or that their whole relationship is based on physical urges and nothing else.
But for an LDR to endure, communicating affection from afar is key. And if you’re in such a relationship, it can make your communication skills better overall.
“Long-distance couples try harder than geographically close couples in communicating affection and intimacy, and their efforts do pay back,” Dr. Crystal Jiang tells the Huffington Post.
A long-distance relationship can make you a better planner
It’s true. If you and your S.O. don’t see each other often, you likely put some extra effort into planning for when you get to spend time together. As one woman tells New York Magazine, planning when to have phone calls and when the next date would be made the whole experience less stressful.
“Having tangible things to look forward to was really important — planning our next visit before the current one ended, having a routine of when to talk,” she explains. “We didn’t have an end date in sight for most of our LDR, so breaking it down into smaller parts made this huge, overwhelming thing seem more surmountable.”
Happy couple | LittleBee80/iStock/Getty Images
Long-distance relationships force you to be independent
You know those couples that never do anything without the other and literally lose their identity as individuals? Being in an LDR literally forces that from happening.
“Living apart from your significant other or spouse is a great way to preserve the essence of who you are even though you are in a relationship,” the Huffington Post says.
So while you may be disappointed you don’t get as much in person time with your S.O. the distance is actually helping you preserve your own essence. And that, in turn, is a very healthy thing.
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