We all know that when you start a new relationship, our life starts revolving around it. We forget friends and family, our hours at work become torturous because of anticipation of the time when we finally go on our second, third, tenth date.

Of course, the scenario can be different and there may not be second third and tenth dates, simply because you are in different locations, which also means you have decided to do a very torturous kind of relationship – long-distance relationship.

In both cases, there will be a time when you end up putting yourself on a second place and you might not even notice it. I was fortunate (or unfortunate?) to be in a long-distance relationship for a little over one year now and I would like to share my survival tips, which I have been using until now, since the long-distance is still on. These few tips will help you keep going, but only if you will truly believe in them.

1. Read books

Some people do not read books, some people love books, I was fortunate to be in the second category. My relationship with books is on another level.

When I read a book I start reliving the story, by the time I reach the middle of the book I have images of characters in my head and by the time I am at the last few pages I start feeling empty because the story is coming to an end. The point is – learn to create a relationship with something you truly love.

2. Become organized

This is related to everything in my life. I re-organize my closet every few months. I get rid of things that I do not wear, I give them to charity or sell them. I organize my bookshelf in an alphabetical order. I tidy up my drawers with make-up and underwear.

I help my family to clear the garage filled with junk.I make sure the food in the drawers of the kitchen is stored in a way which makes it easier to find whatever I need. All these little things make me feel in control of my life, even though my long-distance relationship is not entirely under my control, the fact that everything else is, makes me feel at ease.

3. Keep calm and calm down

After the “pink happiness period” passes, usually after 3-4 months, you start to realize the harsh reality long-distance. You come back to an empty apartment with heavy bags full of groceries on a Friday evening and think “why the hell do I have to be alone”. Well keep calm and keep in mind that there are so many people out there who are dreaming about a quiet Friday evening to themselves.

With time I have realized that the more I stress out about about being alone, the harder it is for me and my partner. Hence, I just started to find advantages in everything that I have to do on my own. When you stop obsessing about the fact that the last 3 weddings you had to attend alone, you can find peace in a yoga, good book, walk in a park or another 100 activities of your choice.

4. Keep up self-development

You simply cannot put your life on hold and wait for your long-distance relationship to transform into a short-distance relationship, because, like in my case, it can take much longer than you expect.

Hence, in the last 14 months I have read more than 20 books, I started learning Spanish, kept-up with German, started writing blogs, supported my family in various activities, tutored my niece English language, started actively practicing yoga and mediation, all that while having a job from 9-6 five times a week. I have realized that I cannot waste time getting depressed, because when my partner and I are finally together, I may not have that much time for all these cool activities.

Featured photo credit: Farida Karimova via facebook.com