Most people feel that long distance relationships are miserable, which sometimes they can be, but they are also worth it if it's with the right person. From my personal experience the first year was awful. It was extremely difficult figuring out how to live a normal life, together, while 336 miles apart. But as time went on we figured some things out, mostly from trial and error, and now, going into our third year of long distance, it feels almost normal. So, if you are new to a long distance relationship or want to commit to one but are afraid, here are some things to remember.

1. It is okay to feel apprehensive.

It's a scary step to take. Going from seeing this person nearly everyday to having monthly visits, perhaps bi-weekly if the distance is a bit shorter. It is normal to question whether the relationship is strong enough to endure the change.

2. For a while you will most likely breakdown everytime you have to say goodbye, well at least I did.

Whether it was sending him off to school or simply leaving after a weekend a visit, everytime I had to say goodbye to him it ended in sobbing. It is something that takes a huge toll on your emotions.

3. It is okay for your significant other to make friends of the opposite gender while at school.

Believe me, I totally understand not wanting your s/o to even look, let alone become friends with a human of the opposite gender, but that's not how the world works. Your s/o will make friends of all genders and that is okay. Trust is very important, especially in a long distance relationship.

4. Paranoia is acceptable but snooping is not.

This goes back to the trust thing again. It is natural to become paranoid and feel like your s/o is living a separate life behind your back. But when you feel this way, just ask. DO ask questions and stress your concerns. DO try to see if anything has changed or if your s/o is acting different in any way. There will be signs and hints if something is truly wrong. But regardless of the urge to DO NOT snoop through your s/o's phone, laptop, etc. while visiting. It is a bad idea and violates the whole trust thing.

5. Open communication is very important.

It is sometimes difficult to have emotional conversations via phone call, but it is very important to do so in a long distance relationship. Since you do not see your s/o very often, if you let all of your concerns and peeves build up until you can have a face to face conversation you may explode or become resentful somewhere along the way. It is much easier to discuss and fix issues as they present themselves, rather than waiting until a visit and trying to fix a months worth of issues at once. The saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" most definitely does not apply to long distance relationships.

6. Make each other feel important.

Send a simple good morning text when you wake up and goodnight text when you're going to bed. Text and snapchat when possible throughout the day, and maybe even throw in some phone calls every now and then if you're walking to class or have a little free time. Facetime occasionally and just make sure the other person knows you're still there for them. It is important to feel loved and wanted in any type of relationship and in long distance ones it's often too easy to feel as though you're "Out of sight, out of mind." So just make sure you keep making each other feel like a priority.

7. Make plans to visit each other.

Each month, set a specific date to visit each other, regardless of who is traveling to whom, and write it down on your calendar. There is no better feeling than seeing a date you're looking forward to get closer and closer. It is similar to booking a vacation, once the date is set you can not help but to countdown to it.

8. Keep a picture of your s/o and something that reminds you of them within plain view.

Personally, I keep a framed photo, of my boyfriend and I, on my nightstand along with a stuffed animal he gave me for a holiday. It may seem cheesy but it truly is comforting to wake up to every morning and see everynight before bed.

9. Keep an article of your s/o's clothing for the times you need a little extra comforting.

This by far is the most comforting thing you can do. For some strange reason it is relieving and uplifting to throw on your s/o's hoodie or t-shirt, especially if it still smells like them. As my boyfriend was heading off to school, beginning our first year doing the long distance thing, he gave me a t-shirt of his to keep and it still smelt like him. I brought the t-shirt to school with me and would keep it in my bed, this way my whole bed would smell like him for bit. The smell would eventually wear off so each month, during our visits, I would make him smell it up again. That became a lot of work and I smelt like a boy all the time so we stopped that and I eventually found that with or without the smell, the clothing is still absurdly comforting.

10. When apart always keep in mind how your s/o would feel about what you're doing and how you would feel if your s/o were doing it.

This is honestly the most important tip of all. This is the trick to keeping eachother feeling secure and happy in the relationship. This is not saying that you should not go out and have fun. If your s/o wants you to stay locked away in your room 24/7, y'all should have a talk. This is simply saying, do not do anything that you would not want your s/o to do. For example, flirting with others, going as a date to other genders functions, becoming more than friendly with anyone, staying the night at the opposite genders house (even if it is innocently), etc. Most of these are simply common sense but sometimes in long distance relationships the boundaries begin to become blurred, so just put yourself in the other persons shoes.

Of course there are other things to take into consideration with a long distance relationship, however these 10 tips have helped my boyfriend and I a great deal and so forth I felt the need to share them. I hope they help!