Finding a romantic partner on the Internet today is a common sight. Being in an online relationship can bring about many thrills, but also a heavy fog of uncertainty. Many often feel sceptical about the longevity and stability of online relationships, but it is definitely possible to maintain one! The following are several tips that can help you make maintaining your online relationship feel less difficult.
1. Stay Connected
- Daily Communication is Key
Today, communication is made easy with the rise of social media platforms and instant messaging applications. Besides using those platforms, it is also important that you take some time out of your day to have a real conversation with your partner. This could come in the form of attentive texting where you reply back-and-forth in real-time, or through an audio call.
Moreover, make it a habit to greet them “Good morning” and “Good night”. This shows your partner that you thought of them during the first and the last moments of your day, which is a sincere act of care. However, don’t feel pressured to communicate at all times of the day. If your partner is asking for more attention than you can reasonably give, try to help them understand things from your point of view. Likewise, don’t expect them to update you every few minutes as well.
Make use of social media to keep each other updated on your lives. Share with your partner which social networking platforms that you’re most active on, and make sure to have them follow your accounts. This way, your partner will be able to easily keep abreast of your life’s activities, and also get more familiar with your social circle; which will create opportunities for interactions between your partner and your loved ones.
- Put in Effort to Learn About Each Other
While this is a no-brainer, online relationships don’t permit for easy understanding of each other’s lives. To build a strong relationship base, couples must really get to know each other well, from their background and aspirations to the little quirks. This is why communication is so important, where sharing about even the most mundane occurrences in your daily life can help your partner relate to you more.
Apart from finding out each other’s interests and habits, a suggestion is to take an online personality quiz, or love language quiz, which could provide further insights into each other’s personalities.
Honesty is the best policy. Betraying your partner by casually lying will do more than just cause disappointment; it will likely cause the downfall of your relationship. A strong and healthy relationship is built on trust, so never be dishonest with your partner. Although the online aspect of the relationship allows for false impressions to be easily made, never be dishonest with your partner, and this includes lying about your background information or career.
If you have already done so, what you should do now is come clean with your partner. Explain your reasons for lying and how much you regret doing so, and make sure to never commit the same mistake again.
2. Create Intimacy
Video calls are a great way to communicate, as it allows couples to see each other. This also gives you more confidence in the genuineness of your relationship. Make it a point to do video calls at least once a week!
Show your love with little surprises or gifts. This includes handmade presents such as a card, or a sewn scarf. Small gifts every now and then can let them feel your sincerity, and how strongly you feel about them.
While distance doesn’t allow for physical touch, which constitutes a huge part of all relationships, it doesn’t mean that your relationship cannot be spiced up. Send some naughty messages their way to show them how you feel, but this should only be done if you feel that you can trust them.
Couples in an online relationship can still do activities together while apart. Schedule shared activities such as an online game session, or a meal over a video call. This is considered a date and will help to create more intimacy.
You can also share your current interests, such as a book that you’re about to read or a movie that you want to watch. Both of you can then read or watch the same things, which will provide many opportunities for post-show discussions; essentially giving both of you more common topics during conversations.
Consider exchanging a personal item with your partner, such as a soft toy or shirt. Having your partner’s personal object by your side will evoke feelings of warmth, and serves as a physical reminder of them.
3. Planning for the Future
- Discuss Expectations for Your Relationship
It’s important that couples talk about what they want from the relationship, and what they may expect of their partner. Aligning your expectations will greatly help in preventing misunderstandings or quarrels from happening in the future.
To ensure that both of you are on the same page, take the time to set relationship goals together. This requires both of you to think ahead and create a timeline for achieving your goals. Your goals could include living together in the same house, or even simple ones like ensuring that a video call date happens every weekend.
It’s key that an in-person meeting is scheduled, as this gives both of you something to look forward to and work towards. Planning a meet-up may not come easy for everyone, so you should start working towards it by saving enough money.
Overall, an online relationship requires a huge deal of effort but it is definitely possible to maintain. Above all, it’s essential that you don’t neglect your other relationships. Your parents and friends are a great support system, and can be there for you when your partner can’t! Always remember to leave time for yourself as well, so that your relationship can grow healthily and happily. If you’re single and thinking about getting into an online relationship, there are plenty of websites to find a relationship and all you have to do is take the first step and who knows, you might just find true love!
