Five months ago, I learned that my boyfriend of a little over one year would not return to college with me that semester. I thought my world ended. If anyone had the pleasure of being around me during the first month, they can tell you how unhappy I was. I think I ran out of tears within the first few weeks. This was the person that I spent every second of every day with—aside from winter and summer breaks. Who would go on late Taco Bell runs with me? Who would stay up way too late watching "How I Met Your Mother" with me? Who would cuddle with me and hold me when I was upset?

Looking back, I think I was being a little dramatic, but I was devastated. As anyone who has been in a long distance relationship knows, the odds seem to be against you. It really sucks when you are in love with the person 200 miles away from you.

Good news! Distance does not mean that it's the end of the world, or even the end of your relationship! And I learned a lot in the five months that I was not attached to my boyfriend's hip.

I learned how to communicate.

When your boyfriend works third shift and you have classes all day, you learn how to get creative when it comes to communication. Whether it's leaving the thousandth voicemail of the week, sending endless BuzzFeed links or trying to squeeze in a five minute phone conversation while one of you is falling asleep and the other is walking to class, it's totally worth it.

I learned how to fight correctly.

Couples don't think about this sort of thing because couples don't like to admit that they fight at all, but we all do. It's totally normal. When you add distance, there's another layer of stress that both of you have to deal with, and fighting is way harder to do over the phone than it is in person. You learn to decipher how the other person is feeling, ask plenty of questions before jumping to conclusions and understand that you should not read too deeply into text messages. That "K" was because he was grumpy from work. Chill out.

I learned how to be spontaneous.

I found a new passion for sending care packages in the past few months, and sending and receiving good, old fashioned letters feels great. If I found out that I had the same day off as he did, I hopped into my car and drove for four hours. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Again, it is worth it.

I learned how to rely on myself.

I didn't rely on my boyfriend for everything, but he was a shoulder to lean on and someone to listen to me complain. During the past semester, I threw myself into my school work, student organizations and work. I was busier than ever, but I was happier than ever. Rather than complaining to my boyfriend every night about my responsibilities, I accomplished my goals. If I was feeling stressed, I went to the gym instead of pigging out on junk food together and binge-watching Netflix with him. (Don't get me wrong, I totally went to Taco Bell by myself a few times by myself.) I learned how to self-care, which is an incredibly important skill to obtain. I learned that I don't need someone to be there for me for everything.

I learned how to love my relationship even more.

Missing my boyfriend made me constantly think about how amazing he is. At first, thinking about him made me sad. But as time passed, I would think about his smile and it would make me smile. I like to think about what the future holds for us, and I know that we both will accomplish great things as individuals and together—whether we are separated by 200 miles or not.

I'm by no means saying that long distance relationships are easy, but they are absolutely do-able. And, if you do them right, they can be a blessing.