Long distance relationships are not easy. But they’re worth it. Whether you’re 15 miles apart or 15 hours away, maintaining a healthy relationship will only strengthen and solidify your bond.

For the past eight months, I have been 285 miles away from my boyfriend. Though we spend summer together, during the school year we are apart. There have been highs, but there have also been many lows, from which we have walked away stronger than ever before. Here’s a couple reasons why a long distance relationship can help love last a lifetime.

You trust each other completely.

When you are not frequently with your significant other, trust becomes a pillar in your relationship. If you do not fully trust each other, then how can you expect to remain together while apart? In a long distant relationship, you trust your significant other more than anything. You are not afraid when they go out with friends, you do not make assumptions when they fail to text you back. Instead, you look at your lock screen and smile, because you are not worried or doubtful. Though trust is incredibly important in normal relationships, it is much easier to “monitor” or “accompany” your significant other. Thus, if you worry about people hitting on your significant other, you can be there just in case. In long distant relationships, you do not have that luxury. So, if the trust isn’t there, you shouldn’t be either. Move on until you find someone you truly trust, even when they’re hundreds of miles away.

You are your own person.

Long distance relationships are bittersweet. While you cannot be with your significant other as often as you like, you have more time to yourself. In many relationships, it seems as if both people cannot live without each other. They wake up; they see each other. They get out of class; they see each other. They get dinner; they see each other. But what happens when something comes up, a faraway job opportunity or a study abroad program? Most people freak out, naturally. I did too when I studied abroad. However, the benefit of being in a long distance relationship is that you are used to separation. Though you may go crazy and cry, you are still you without your significant other. You have your own passions and hobbies. You have your own friends and experiences. You have not defined yourself by your significant other. So, when you are back together again, your life won’t feel like it was on pause. You’ll get to both press rewind and share those recent experiences and adventures, and fall deeper than ever before.

Your relationship never gets boring.

Being in a long distant relationship forces you to be creative. From love letters to surprise packages, you are consistently finding new ways to give your significant other butterflies. FaceTime ranges from Buzzfeed quizzes to scary story time, to tough conversations to songs sung over the phone. Getting to each other is also an adventure. From Amtrak to Megabus, you do whatever it takes to see each other. Whether it be getting stranded at a gas station in rural Ohio, to being in a Megabus crash on the highway, it doesn’t matter. Because at the end of the day, you are doing it for your significant other. And when you spend more time apart than you do together, you’ll walk across water to spend just 48 hours with them.

These past 8 months have been tough. We’ve doubted each other, we’ve argued and we’ve cried more times than I thought possible. But, because of the distance, I trust my boyfriend more than anyone in the world. Because of the distance, I am not defined by my relationship. And because of the distance, I know that my love for him will last a lifetime- whether we’re a bus ride or room away. It’s hard, but I’m #doingthedistance.