There is a negative stigma associated with going into college in a long-distance relationship with your high school sweetheart. For some reason, people believe that it is setting yourself up for a dulled college experience that will just end in heartbreak. I remember being so nervous about how my relationship with my boyfriend was going to turn out. It seemed like the whole world was against us continuing our relationship. However, with the support of my boyfriend, we decided to pursue our two-and-a-half year relationship into college despite the 530 miles that separate us.

I wish that someone told me before I entered college what a successful long-distance relationship was actually like. It seemed like all the advice was negative and discouraging, therefore, I decided to write my own advice for people in long distance relationships.

1. It is OK if you are not always missing them.

I learned that it's OK to be preoccupied with your new, exciting and time-consuming college life. It's healthy to not be constantly worrying and talking to your significant other. You aren't a bad girlfriend or boyfriend if you are not constantly hurt by the pain of missing them. You do not have to be constantly missing them in order to have a successful relationship.

2. You will miss them, and it will suck.

For the first few months of college, you are going to be missing your significant other from time-to-time. You have to be patient with yourself. There will be days when all you want to do is lay in your bed and talk with them, and that's OK. Just make sure you are not spending all of your time missing them because it will only make it worse. Go out and experience college and the ache of missing them will settle down.

3. Don't be a control freak.

A certain piece of advice that has helped me a lot with my relationship is: let them choose to be with you. Don't think that by controlling them you are helping your relationship. By being controlling you may be causing your significant other to resent and distance themselves from you. You cannot control a person to not go out to parties, make attractive friends, text you 24/7 and to not break your trust. No matter what, a person is going to do what they want to do. By letting them choose to be with you. They are actively making the choice of not hurting you and keeping your trust.

4. If they broke your trust once, they probably will do it again.

If you don't fully trust your significant other, you will be constantly worrying about who they are with and what they are doing which results in jealously and control issues. Being in a long distance relationship, you and your relationship are vulnerable and there are a lot more opportunities for deception. If a person has broken your trust, cheated on you or went behind your back before college, then it will probably happen again. If that's the case, I do not advise entering a long-distance relationship with them. If you're already hesitant on trusting them at home, it will be a lot worse in college.

5. Establish boundaries and rules.

Make sure you communicate what makes you comfortable or uncomfortable with your significant other. Define what cheating means to you. Make rules with each other, such as, always texting each other good night. Make sure you are on the same page.

6. People will continue to doubt your relationship.

For some reason people always are going to state their opinion about your relationship. People will think you are crazy for having a long-distance relationship with your high school boyfriend. You have to remember that some people are just simply bitter and negative and their opinions do not define you or your relationship. Don't let them get in your head. You and your significant others opinion about your relationship is the only one that matters!

7. A little reassurance can go a long way.

Make sure you put in effort to let your significant other know that you are thinking about them throughout the day. Send them a cute letter or an amazing care package with their favorite foods. Text them if something you see reminds you of them. Make an effort to let them know that you love them.

8. Have traditions and routines.

Establish traditions that are unique to your relationship. For example, make it a tradition to tell each other your three favorite things about your day or pray together every night. Set face-time dates in advance that way you have something to look forward to.

9. Start saving your money.

Gas, planes and trains are very expensive, start saving your money now. Maybe put all of your spare change in a jar that is just for travel money. Save, save, save! It will be worth it!

10. Make an effort to see each other.

It is honestly so special when you get to see your loved one after being away for so long. Plan to visit each other during the school year. When you see each other, it just reassures all the feelings you have for each other. You realize that the distance is worth it.

11. Don't be afraid to be your own person.

I cannot stress this enough. Go out and experience college first hand. Make new friends, join clubs and study abroad. Find who you are and love yourself. When you and your significant other are fully your own person, you come together at the end and can share your experiences. It creates a healthy and balanced relationship.

12. Your relationship might change.

Relationships change and that is okay. It's okay if you are not in the honeymoon stage anymore. It's okay if you are not constantly thinking about them. You might feel like the spark is dying down, but that does not mean you are falling out of love. Remember, change is not always a bad thing!

13. Long distance relationships are not destined to fail.

Despite contrary belief, a long distance relationship is not guaranteed to fail. Just like any relationship you have to put effort and time into it. There has to be more communication and trust in order to have a successful and healthy relationship. It's capable of working, but don't let negative comments influence your attitude towards your relationship.

14. I love my long distance relationship.

Through long distance I have learned how to be incredibly independent. I have flourished into my own person and so has my boyfriend. We have never had a stronger and healthier relationship. We trust each other whole-heartedly, and we want each other to be happy. It's possible to be happy in a long distance relationship, I promise!