Do Long Distance Relationships Work?

A good friend of mine recently got engaged while in a long distance relationship. I am so happy for him! But he does hate the distance, so I wonder, do long distance relationships work long term? There are some mistakes that you can hopefully avoid.

• Doubting the relationship will bring into question how legitimate the relationship really is. An out of sight, out of mind view of your relationship is not healthy, and you and your partner need to be on the same page about what this relationship means to both of you.
• Trying to talk all the time is stressful. How can you do your job or have a social life in your town if you need to constantly be texting or calling your long distance partner? There should be a conversation had where you and your partner can agree on how much communication you both want from each other. One call a day? An ongoing text chain that you just respond to as you can? It's important that you're both on the same page.
• Not scheduling fun virtual dates which keeps the relationship interesting, and allows you to feel connected to your partner even if you two are hundreds of miles away. Technology has come so far to help long distance relationships, so use video chat to your advantage. It might feel weird at first, but going for ice cream "together" can still be fun even if they are states away!

A long distance relationship can work if you and your partner are both willing to put the effort into the relationship to make it work. No relationship is easy and no relationship will just magically work out without work being put into it.