So you and your boyfriend or girlfriend are high school sweethearts, but now you are both off at college. Whether or not you are at the same school or miles apart, here are some tips to get you through the transition and maintain your high school relationship throughout college.
The base of any relationship is trust; especially if you’re just starting a long distance relationship. Being able to trust your partner allows both of you to be happy and much more content in the relationship. You always have to keep in mind that you should behave how you would want your partner to, so think twice before shamelessly flirting with someone and think ‘Is this maintaining the trust of my relationship?’
Continuing your high school relationship in college is not going to be easy but you will get out of it what you put in. Sometimes college can get very busy and hectic, so maybe it is best that you set-aside time to talk, when you both have overlapping free time. College life tends to be much busier than high school, so be sure to communicate your availability.
In high school you two probably saw each other everyday, multiple times a day even. But now that you are in college, things are a little different. You both will be incredibly busy and if you are at different colleges, you might be miles apart. You each have to learn to let the other one have some space. This means you shouldn’t be blowing up each other’s phones or visiting each other every single day. You need to be able to explore college separately.
One way to keep the relationship fresh is think outside of the box. Everybody loves getting mail at college so why not write a letter and send it snail-mail style. Or box up a couple of your partner’s favorite food items and send them in a cute care package. And instead of having regular phone calls, set up Skype dates where all your attention is focused on each other.
In college, a lot of big life events will happen and you don’t really want your boyfriend or girlfriend finding out on your latest Instagram post. Try to keep each other updated on things happening at college. You don’t have tell them every detail of everyday, but let them know what is happening in your life.
Your partner will probably get involved in different college activities, and you should be there to cheer them on. If they play a sport, be the loudest person in the stands. If they do some other activity, support them in any way you can. Even if they haven’t gotten involved on campus yet, maybe encourage them to join something.
A lot of things can change now that you are both in college, including your relationship. You have to be open to the fact that some things might be different. You are each going to grow and you can’t dwell on the past and how your relationship used to be. Instead you must focus on what it is becoming.
If you are uncomfortable with something in the relationship: SPEAK UP. Like I said before, a healthy relationship must have communication. You should never have bottled up emotions. If you are not happy, call your partner and talk it through. Suppressing your feelings can interfere with classes and distract your focus.
If you don’t get to see each other very often, plan events to count down to. Maybe a weekend getaway for just the two of you, or countdown the next holiday break where you are both at home. Having something to look forward to makes the time go by faster between visits.
The most important tip is you must learn to love yourself first before you learn to love someone else. This will help you be more independent, especially if your relationship is long distance. Loving yourself allows the relationship to be easier; you become less self conscious and worried without your partner.
Enjoy this time as a couple; you will both grow stronger if you support each other.
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