10 tips for a better long-distance relationship

LDRs suck, but they can still work out!

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Most of us know this by now: long-distance relationships suck. As much as you tell yourself you won’t get jealous when you see him post pictures on Facebook with other guys, and as passionately as you promise to call him every night, nothing will prepare you for the lonely nights — especially if you have spent any length of time together.

There are a few ways to portray LDRs as pleasant experiences. There are, however, steps you can take to make them easier until the time comes when you will be back in the same place. Here are 10 tips that should help you out in a pinch.

Be honest about your expectations upfront

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Like any other relationship, you're going to have to be honest about your intentions and what you want upfront. Some of this is going to be defined by the actual distance of your relationship. If it's within a few hours, you may be able to have something a little more casual and open because it doesn't take much to get to see each other.

The farther you are, however, the more difficult things are going to be. Just be honest about what you want, whether it's something more serious or more casual. There are going to be issues, like any other relationship, but go into the relationship with honesty so you can build your trust.

See each other as often as you can

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This one may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how difficult it can be to actually arrange a time to get together. Adult schedules get busy, and it's hard enough as it is to make time to see people who live in your immediate vicinity. Anytime there's an opportunity to see each other, take it.

Test your trust and communication

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Long distance relationships give you the opportunity to test how well you trust your partner and also how to learn better communicational skills. There are a lot of conversations that need to happen when you're in an LDR -- many that we'll talk about soon -- but you also have to learn how to trust your partner. If you're the type of person who always assumes your partner is doing something behind your back, that will ultimately become toxic for the relationship.

Have an end goal

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If the time you are going to be apart is open-ended—if there’s no set end date—the long-distance relationship will not survive. You both need something to look forward to, to tick days off your calendar for. Without an end goal, the distance will look overwhelming and endless, an eternity of lonely nights that will eventually not seem worth it, especially when you could be meeting other guys.

Open up your sexual boundaries

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I have a rule: if the person you’re dating wants you to be sexually monogamous, then they have to stay in the same place as you. In other words: no one has the right to call you theirs and only theirs while simultaneously withholding sex from you. To do so is selfish and inconsiderate.

If you’re going to do long distance, you need to be comfortable opening up your sexual boundaries. You can set your own rules for how much you tell each other about the sex you are both having, but I recommend total honesty and full disclosure. Why? Because what you don’t say will sit on your conscience and create needless guilt. You will start to feel ashamed of something that needn’t (and shouldn’t) be shamed.

As a couple, you should encourage and celebrate each other’s sex lives, not stifle them. No one wants to be with someone restrictive, unexciting, or judgmental. If the person you’re dating can’t bear the thought of you sleeping with other people, or if they shame you for it, you have legitimate grounds to question whether or not this is going to work.

Make regular plans to watch the same movie on the same day

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Time differences might keep you from watching the same movie at the exact same time, but try to watch the same movie within the same 24-hour period. Netflix, Hulu, or any other streaming service is the perfect way to do this.

Take a selfie before the movie starts and send it to him. Do whatever cute, cheeky things you can to make it feel more like a shared experience—because it is. Just not in the same location.

Talk about your feelings, even if you think he won't like to hear them

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This is true of all relationships, but it especially applies to long distance. You’re going to visit his Facebook page a million times, check his Instagram every night, and have his profile starred as a favorite on Grindr and Scruff. You’re going to get jealous and you’re going to get scared—scared that he doesn’t like you anymore, scared that you’ve been gone too long, or scared that he’s fallen in love with someone else.

You must be able to talk about these feelings without fighting about them. If you keep them to yourself, they will build and boil, and one day you will yell on the phone for no reason and do more harm than good. If he’s a good guy, he will listen and talk about his feelings too—chances are he’s feeling similar things—and the conversation will be a good one. It might be difficult to have, but it will only bring positive results because honesty always brings good.

If he doesn’t listen, gets angry, or dismisses your feelings entirely, you have a fair idea of what kind of person you’re trying to date.

Send nudes

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Sexting is wonderful at any time, but in a long-distance relationship, it is vital. Let him know you still think about him sexually, and that you can’t wait until you guys are naked together again.

This is important. Everybody wants to be seen as sexy, especially by the person they’re dating. When you are apart, it is easy to feel unattractive—there’s no one there to kiss you and touch your butt and tell you that you look good even when you think you look terrible. When you are far apart, remind him often that you think he’s sexy, that his new pictures on Facebook or Instagram are hot, and that you want to do nasty things to him when you’re back together.

If you're kinky, get on Skype

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Skype can be the gateway to great sexual experiences, especially if one of you likes to be dominant and the other likes to be submissive. Buy some sex toys, plan a Skype date, and prepare for it like you would prepare for a long night of sex.

Make sure your computer is plugged in. When you are finally video calling, the dominant boyfriend should give instructions and the submissive boyfriend should obey them—on camera. Trust me, it’s a very hot experience and one you’ll want to have again and again.

If it's not working, do not, under any circumstance, break up over distance

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It’s a cruel thing to do. If it’s not working, if you’ve met someone else, or if the distance has simply given you time and space to reconsider your relationship, the guy waiting for you deserves to hear the news in person.

Think of long-distance this way: he is holding his breath and waiting to let it out. He is in a bad novel and waiting to get to the end. Whatever analogy you use, the point should be clear: he is waiting to see you again, one way or another.

To break up with him over distance is to completely deny him closure while simultaneously leaving him completely alone to hurt, wonder, and miss you—now in a completely different way. Even if you have to spend a lot of money to fly back for a day and tell him, do it. Some would argue that the distance will help him forget you faster, but this is false—the first thought in his head will be: if you could see him just one more time in person, you would still want to date him. Regardless if this is true or not, the thought will turn to agony, and he will replay in his mind the last thing he said to you and the last time you touched over and over again, understanding it now to be the last time you ever will.