Stay Close: Long-Distance Relationships via Video
Long-Distance Relationship Technology
Long-distance relationships of any sort can present a challenge to those involved, and if you’ve experienced one for yourself, you already know that the situation can sometimes get stressful.
Thankfully, technology is on your side nowadays, and just because someone is on the other side of the continent—or even the world—it doesn’t mean that you’ve lost the chance of connection.
Modern technology gives you the opportunity to get in touch at any time, beyond the capabilities of a traditional telephone call.
There are even free video conference call platforms like Blue Jeans that offer various tools and services to help you easily connect, in real-time, with your loved ones.
In fact, video conferencing might be one of the most useful tools for keeping in contact, as it gives you the added benefit of being face to face, no matter how many miles lie between you.
Schedule Time Together
It’s important to remember that when you’re communicating with a loved one whose living afar, there are huge chunks of one another’s lives that you are unable to witness, says AskMen.
This means that you’re not necessarily hearing about your son or daughter’s favorite experience during their college classes that day, or you might not know about the new favorite restaurant your spouse has discovered while they’re overseas on business.
It’s important to make sure you schedule some time to share these particular experiences via a video call and remember to ask about what’s new. Short, quick check-ins with one another can keep you feeling connected and close, but you might miss out on the bigger—or smaller, as it were—details that make one another who you are.
Scheduling several hours a week for a video “date” to catch up on everything without distraction is a great way to continue sharing your lives from a distance.
Video chat opens up a world of possibilities to keep things fresh when combined with the other powers of the internet.
For example, you can stream a movie to watch together over video chat, or play video games together online, suggests The Huffington Post.
Be careful not to overdo it, though; keep your schedule flexible, and avoid expressing resentment if your family member or lover is unable to keep your date.
It’s important to remember that they are currently living a life without you by their side, and they may have other obligations.
Let Yourself Grow
On that note, being apart is also an excuse to let yourself grow.
There’s no reason to feel guilty for enjoying the free time that you have now that the kids or your partner are away.
Of course, feeling lonely on occasion is to be expected, and missing your loved one is normal. But growing apart is completely different than growing apart from one another, and your relationship might come out even stronger as a result.
This doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on one another’s experiences, either.
The great thing about video calling is that you can connect from any device—even your smartphone. Experiencing something you’d like to share while you’re out and about?
There’s no barrier to contact.
Send a request for a video chat and share your experience, in real time, with your loved one.
We-Vibe
Use Snail Mail as a Boost
LifeHack recommends sending gifts and postcards via snail mail to your loved ones, as a welcome change from electronic communication.
Getting old-fashioned is a great way to keep things fresh, and provides a truly personal, tangible touch for your loved one to hold onto.
Seeing your loved one’s handwriting and knowing that they spent time to sit down and write you a letter can be incredibly romantic and rewarding—just as sending a care package to a family member or child away at school is a great way to get in contact with a gift “just because”, with no further words necessary.
Video calls come in handy here too, though.
Following up a physical mailing with a video chat to see your loved one’s reaction and hear them gush about their delivery is not only sweet but helps to keep the bond strong between you.
Video chat allows you to actually see the emotional effect and results of other forms of long-distance communication.
There’s no denying that long-distance relationships are difficult, or that they can at times prove to be emotionally strenuous.
But by utilizing video chat, it’s easy to keep yourself engaged and in tune with one another’s emotions, lives, and experiences.
While simply hearing the voice of a loved one can be calming, there’s nothing like being able to see their face in real-time.
Staying close from far away is possible; video chat technology makes it not only simple, but highly rewarding, as well.
What’s Your Opinion?
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