Everyone knows college relationships can be hard, but add 260 miles between the two of you and sometimes it feels like you’re doomed. I'm here to tell you that you are not. It can be difficult to deflect the constant clichés that people love to throw at you to try and make you feel better, such as “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and the slightly less common, “if it’s meant to be it will be.” I’ve heard them all and you will too if you’re in an LDR (long distance relationship) long enough. Eventually, it will become second nature to smile and say, “You’re right,” or to send a smiley face emoji rather than tell everyone where they can go. Sooner or later, being alone most of the time becomes second nature and life goes on. You begin to realize the reasons that it is OK to be in a LDR rather than sulk your life away on the bad parts. If you’re having trouble figuring out the good parts, maybe this will help.

1. Think of how excited you get when you get to see your boyfriend/girlfriend.

For people who aren’t in a LDR, it can be hard to understand the extreme excitement of seeing your significant other after weeks. It’s okay if people don’t understand. You just have to hold on to that excitement and love of seeing your person again.

2. You get to know each other on a completely different level.

All of the nights spent on FaceTime, phone calls and the endless Snapchatting force you to actually talk to each other. There is no confusion over whether or not this relationship is built solely on lust. You know everything about that person and it becomes totally normal to sit on FaceTime and say nothing for hours.

3. You are able to grow as your own person.

Lucky for you, you will never become “that couple.” The couple that is always together and no one actually knows one without the other. You are able to find your own identity, have your own friends and live your own life. Don’t go crazy now, but it is nice to find your independence in a relationship.

4. You learn about a crazy little thing called trust.

In a LDR, you really have no choice but to trust your partner because if you don’t have trust, you don’t have anything. You realize very quickly how much you actually trust someone when they are almost 300 (or more) miles away.

5. If you get through being long distance, you get through pretty much anything.

Being long distance is definitely a struggle. It can make you fight over nothing and bicker only because you haven’t seen each other in weeks. When you finally do get to live in the same state, town, or house you will realize how simple things are. You got through the hard part, now you just have to deal with the fact that he snores every single night.

We can just go ahead and call a LDR what it is: hard. At times it will be harder than others, but it’s at those times that you have to realize that it is OK. It is OK to miss that person. It is OK to feel lonely. It is even OK to be sad sometimes. Then you also have to realize that it is not OK to feel sorry for yourself. It is not OK to sulk around. Lastly, it is not OK to not live your life. A long-distance relationship is possible if you just put the work in, and it can be the most rewarding thing in the world.