Whenever someone thinks about a long distance relationship, the first thing that comes to their mind is generally the fact that most people haven't met their significant other in person. How can they be in a relationship if they don't know the person they're in a relationship with? What they don't understand is that maintaining an LDR is more difficult than maintaining a relationship where you live just a few minutes away from one another.

First of all, an LDR is all about trusting one another. If you can't build a strong enough bond that makes it easy for you to not believe that every person your significant other is spending time with is an affair, then maybe an LDR just isn't the type of relationship for you. When you're in an LDR, you can't really meet any of your significant other's friends or family members - and that makes it kind of difficult to be able to fully comprehend who is who when they're talking about someone. The only method of communication that you really have with the people in your significant other's life is the same exact method of communication that you have with your significant other. Do you Skype? Text? Email? Those are going to be the only ways that you can talk to anybody else in their life, too. Your communication will also mainly be through your significant other, so there really isn't any way that you would be able to know it was actually them unless you were in some sort of call.

Second, you don't get to do the same things that a normal relationship would be able to do. You won't be able to have date nights that aren't a little awkward to do, you won't be able to get intimate without it being digital, and you definitely won't be able to have those small and mundane moments where you're just laying together and doing your own thing while just enjoying them being beside you. Imagine being in a relationship that relied solely on technology to be able to have a connection with somebody else. No hugging, no kissing, no hand holding, nothing. All you have is your words and your emotions, both of them tugging you in opposite directions as you try to maintain the connection that you established with another person that could be states or countries away. Sure, you'll be able to talk to them and see them - but is it worth it to you to give up everything that you could have if you were with somebody in person?

Finally, getting your family and friends to really understand that you're in a relationship with somebody so far away could be one of the most difficult parts of being in an LDR. Most people, mainly those that are much older than you, don't understand how you could truly love somebody that you've never met before. They'll be a little judgmental and skeptical of your every move, wondering how it's possible that you even know somebody so far away. Before too long, they'll start wondering if you're ever going to meet in person and might even convince you that it will never happen in your lifetime. Not every person does this, but you should be aware that it is a common occurrence. Nobody really understands how emotions work, and it just gets more confusing when you throw an LDR in the mix. Even if you've been talking to somebody for years, there will always be that one person that thinks one of you is not who you say you are - even after videos, images, and calls. You will never have every single person on your side until you're able to meet in person, and even then it may be difficult to get everybody on board with approving your "taboo" relationship.

My experience with an LDR has been a complete rollercoaster from start to finish. Not every relationship will be your picture-perfect fantasy, but you might find one close enough to that definition if you're willing to put enough effort into one. My boyfriend and I have had our ups and our downs, but we recently got the news that I'm going to be able to spend my spring break with him in New York. After four years of messaging each other and nearly seven months of dating, we will actually be meeting in person for the first time. If you're interested in hearing how that goes, keep watching my Odyssey posts because there is no way that I won't be writing about my experiences meeting my LDR for the first time.