Long distance relationships (LDR) have their own difficult aspects that come with them but if you are able to survive with your significant other being away from you, will you survive their return?

I have a friend who is currently going through a long distance relationship and her significant other is currently studying abroad. This decision was not easy on her but with the help of technology; they have been able to do very well and according to her, even grown closer. They have made communication a priority and always know when the next time they see other will be, two components needed to make LDR work.

The other day we had dinner together and she confided in me that she was nervous about seeing her man because she was not sure if there would be any awkwardness and it would be like starting from scratch.

I honestly didn’t know what advice to give her since I had not been in the same situation but I decided we should look at it as a friendship. She and I had been friends for years and had gone to live in different places but whenever we got together it was like we had never parted. We just picked up from where we left off. I figured if you are friends with your partner you should overthink it and just start from where you left off.

We decided that she would take the time and just be with him and spend time being with him and talk about anything and realise that they were still the same people they were before he left. 

A couple of days ago my friend and I met up again and she said everything is going well and shared that her and her partner were doing very well and had some great discussions about how both of them had had the fear of not being able to connect after time away. It also brought up more good conversations on how to continue to maintain trust in their relationship and keep things going even when they are apart.

Long distance relationships are truly a test on the bond two people share. It tests your ability to make someone your main focus even when they are around physically. When the person who should be your main source of physical and emotional love is not around you have to come up with news to keep this going without getting distracted from external factors - or at least this is what my friend and her partner discussed and realised that this time away actually made them stronger because they realised what they have in each other as partners.

She told me to share it with my friends in this column because long distance relationships get popular every day with more people studying abroad or travelling; your soul mate may not be from your immediate surroundings and may be miles away from you and you have to make this work or at least try.

What advice do you have for couples rekindling their relationship after time away from each other?