What? I'm sure many of you are thinking "how can a relationship where you don't see each other for an extended period of time have perks?" It sounds a little crazy and it absolutely is! There are times where I want to just pack up my stuff and leave to be with my significant other and not go back. Sometime's life just needs to throw many miles between your significant other and you to function. Maybe it's work or college or you're going on a super long vacation (I wish). Sometimes a long distance relationship may seem nothing other then missing your significant other and other things, rolling over at night to find they're not there, or anxiety so bad it makes you feel like your brains are falling out, but it has it's perks to it too. Now when you read this you may think, "well I can have most of these things if I were single", but what you don't have is a significant other to text you sweet goodnight messages or somebody to cuddle with at night when you are back together.
Also, I use the term "boyfriend/he/him" because that is how it is for me, but it applies to any type of significant other you may have "girlfriend/them."
1. You don't have to shave
All of us ladies know shaving sucks. You have to contort yourself in an awkward position by bending over in a tiny shower or lifting your leg way higher than a Rockettes just to tame the forest that is your legs. It especially sucks in the winter, when nobody is going to see the hairy beasts anyways. Most boyfriends do not appreciate your legs or any other areas anything but smooth, so if you see each other often you have to shave often. Bless being in an LDR though because you only have to really shave those times you see each other. So let that leg hair grow wild and when the time comes tame those beasts and never reveal evidence that your legs ever look anything other than the smoothness that they are.
2. More "YOU" Time
Being with your S.O is always great, but sometimes you need some space to do you. When you're in a LDR you can listen to whatever music you want or lay in your pj's and binge-watch a Netflix series that your S.O hates because they aren't there to complain about it. You have more time to be the strange and crazy person you are and nobody can complain about it.
3.You become more independent
Do you ever notice that when couples live near each other they tend to do EVERYTHING together and are attached at the hip? From time to time I'm the same way, but being in an LDR teaches you to step outside the couple bubble and explore things on your own. You make your own friends, find your own hobbies, and learn to survive without your S.O. Yes, you will live without your S.O. bringing you food when you don't want to get your lazy butt off the couch.
4. You get the bed all to yourself.
You may already be the bed hog in your relationship, but it's also great to have the bed all to yourself and doesn't put you at risk of getting punched in the face from your sleeping S.O. So spread out those legs, (for yourself this time), make a fortress out of your pillows, wrestle with your covers, and eat whatever the hell you want in your bed because nobody will be complaining. On a side note, if you have a S.O. that thinks it's funny to dutch oven you when you're trying to sleep, in a LDR you have no fear of that happening. If you don't know what a dutch oven is I highly suggest you look it up on urban dictionary.
5. Excuses to go on vacation
It isn't exactly vacation, but sometimes you're own town, you're house, you're bed, the people, the scenery, the bars, they get old. Having a significant other many miles away from you gives you the perfect excuse to pack up your bags and leave for a weekend to visit your S.O's town, their friends, their bars, their bed... and also your S.O. When your S.O. visits you, you have the perfect reason to go exploring and brag about how cool your area is. Do you have a Potatotopia or Witches Brew? Well you're missing out on life so we have to fix that.
6. Your relationship grows.
If you're reading this I'm sure you've seen the countless articles on "The Struggles of Being in a Long Distance Relationship." It does suck when the only way you can really communicate is through text, email (do people still use email?), phone calls, and facetime or any other video chat instead of face to face. On top of that, sometimes schedules don't match up so you'll get a text two afters after you sent one, but then you're going to class/work/etc. so you can't text them back for another few hours.
This is where your relationships grows. You have to learn how to communicate better with each other, especially when it comes to texting. Words can get misinterpreted very easily when there isn't a voice or expressions behind them. For example the word "ok", do you mean "ok" as in okay or "ok" as in "k, I'm mad at you and you're about to feel the fiery-wraths of me guilt tripping you." You have to learn how to communicate that you need support or for your significant other to give you space. Maybe you fight a little more or a little less when you're away but instead of walking away pouting you have to actually communicate and work through things together to fix it and it will be worth it.
7. Save Money
I don't know about you, but I love food. My bank account on the other hand does not. When people are in relationships they go out on dates, whether it be once a week, twice a week, once every few weeks, four times a day, whatever. Usually it involves money, food, movies, going out and usually you take turns paying or split the cost which means things tend to get expensive. Especially when your S.O. eats like a pig all the time and you have to split the bill. When you're in an LDR the only person you have to worry about paying for is yourself. Besides who doesn't love going on dates with themselves every now and then or with their friends, but friends pay for themselves unless you have to spot them. Overall, money saved.
The only sad part is that when you are in an LDR traveling to visit can get expensive, so saving money isn't always such a perk.
8. Dress however the hell you want
Not that I don't when I'm with my S.O. He has come to accept my "I'm a hungover hobo blob" look. Envision huge sweatpants, huge sweatpants, bedhead, and a little mascara left under my eyes. I'm sure I could scare little kids with that look. From time to time I try to look presentable for him so he knows that I'm still a person and not just a big blob of disaster. The only times I ever really want to look presentable when I'm away is if I'm feeling myself that day, have a presentation in class, going out, or I'm about to facetime him. Otherwise, not caring what I look like isn't so important because who do I need to impress?
9. You get to steal their clothing and they can't take them back.
MINE. For some odd reason your significant other's clothing is always ten times more comfortable. For people who steal their boyfriend's clothing, I'm sure you agree that guys clothing has to be made entirely different. Everything is just so soft and big. Big sweatshirts are perfect to hide in and if it's baggy enough you don't even have to wear a bra. T-shirts make the perfect night shirt, guys sweatpants.. you can store your life in there. So steal the clothing and don't ever give it back! It's mine forever!!
10. When you do see each other, the time you spend together is so much more special.
Even though you may love having the bed all to yourself, your "me" time, or not shaving your legs, when it comes down to it you miss your significant other like crazy. You miss cuddling them at night and putting your cold feet on their back just to see their reaction.. and also because your feet are cold. You miss the annoying things they do like poke you, sit around on their butts all day or never stop moving, and when they ramble on about something you don't care about at all... no I don't care about how well some basketball player is doing. I will pretend to care, but I don't. In the time that you were gone you realize how important those little things are, and how you secretly kind of missed them, but you definitely will not tell your significant other that. Now, you probably have a lot of lost time to make up for.
