1. There is a light at the end of the tunnel

The first way to guarantee your relationship will stay golden is to constantly have a date set where you will see your significant other in person. I am lucky enough to see my boy either every weekend, or every other weekend. I can sympathize for the truly long distance couples with longer time spans to suffer through, but I cannot say I've experienced it first hand. I just know that any time spent away from my boyfriend is awful, and having a permanent date set that is not subject to change gives us a reason to be excited and cherish the moments we do have together even more.

2. Communicate communicate communicate

I can not say it enough, constant communication is truly the number one reason Mason and I have made it this far. Whenever someone asks how we're still together, I always have the same answer; he has to be my best friend before my boyfriend. This isn't a relationship that will happen overnight, but it is definitely a foundation you need to have if you're going to make the distance work. I tell Mason everything, no matter how dumb it is. It isn't about impressing him at this point, there is literally no way I could ever be embarrassed in front of him. He knows everything and is my shoulder to cry on in any situation, making it literally impossible to ever have a reason to hide something or lie to him.

We are there for each other no matter what time it is, and we're one hundred percent committed to our relationship. It's important to remember that for seemingly difficult relationships to work (or any for that matter) you have to put in perspective that this is your potential partner for the rest of your life. This isn't just a fun fling, but a partnership meant to last longer than the season of life where you're apart.

3. Trust

This seems like a cliche tip, but trust truly is the glue that pieces everything together. You have to trust that you'll see each other on the date you agreed to. You have to trust that the communication between you two is truthful and as frequent as it can be. Trust is the hardest tip out of all of these because it takes so much time and effort to build, but can be completely ruined with one action.

Mason and I still struggle with trusting each other in new or foreign situations, but as long as we communicate and work out our concerns, our trust in each other only grows. It's a cycle that your relationship must stay on in order to continue. Trust and communication go hand in hand; while both are hard to establish, they're the only thing missing from the happy relationship you're looking for.