Every relationship will have their issues. There is not one single couple in this world that has not had an argument. That’s a fact. If you come across someone on the street that tells you otherwise, then, they perhaps never had a real relationship. Because the fact of the matter is, though two people may well be very much in love with each other, disagreements, whether big or small, will inevitably arise at one point or another. As a matter of fact, if you suddenly just stop arguing and your partner just completely shuts down, it may well be an indication of worse things such as the fact that they just don’t give a damn anymore.
You see, arguments arise not only because there is something off or unresolved in a relationship, rather, these disagreements that arise, more often than not, are driven by emotions. No, allow me to state it early: emotions in themselves are not bad; it is how we act upon these emotions that makes all the difference. Hence, one has to realize that major fights are often due to small, unresolved issues that managed to emotionally creep up at an inopportune time.
Thus, this leads to the main point of my blog article: how do we handle arguments in a long distance relationship? Though these ideas that I will be giving are not limited to long distance relationships alone, I believe it would be most beneficial to those who are in a long distance relationship. Why? Because being in a long distance relationship in itself is hard enough, but having an argument with someone you cannot touch or hold is much harder. It makes you feel more alone than you already are. Furthermore, being away from each other only aggravates the conflict further for the reason that your words can be misunderstood much more easily and that truth be told, you simply are dealing with the fact that you wish nothing more in the world than to be together, which you, unfortunately, are not yet.
So, how should you deal with it? How do you resolve the issues and disagreements that you are having with the love of your life who just so happened to be about a thousand miles away? Well, I suggest following these simple guidelines:
1. Set some ground rules
As a couple, you need to agree to establish some ground rules in your relationship. Given that you are in a long distance relationship, it is important that you clarify what it is you wish to happen between the two of you despite the fact that you are both far away from each other. This should include how often you will be visiting each other? Who will relocate? Are you both as committed to the relationship? The list goes on.
What you need to remember is this: you ought to clear out any possible rough edges from the very beginning so as not to let these things cause a rift between the two of you in the long run. It is also a way to safeguard both your feelings. You don’t want to end up with false hopes and crushed dreams, do you? I bet nobody does. Therefore, it is much better to discuss these things upfront than deal with the consequences of not talking about it much later on.
2. Quit the blame game
If you are engaged in a heated debate with each other over one thing, avoid playing the blame card or retelling each other the nasty things they’ve done to you in the past as it only stirs up more ill feelings towards one another. It is, of course, human nature to switch into the defensive mode if you feel threatened or are concealing the pain. But, instead, discuss the issue calmly and be open with your feelings to each other.
You can start of by saying, “I feel sad because…” or “This makes me think like….” By acknowledging your thoughts and feelings, you are letting your partner become aware of your side without lashing it all out on them. In addition to that, you are owning up to your part and that you are, in fact, reaching out to inform them of how you truly feel—which makes it easier for you to find a common ground or see that the problem is not any of you, but something apart from the two of you. I mean, after all, you are both in this relationship and you should be working towards making things work, not waging war or holding grudges against each other.
3. Never go to bed angry
When I say that you should not go to bed angry, it is not just as simple as not going to bed with feelings of anger, but it is actually not putting off any issue as soon as it comes up. While you may both be on a tight schedule or have completely opposite time zones, you both should never just leave anything unresolved, no matter how small or insignificant you may consider it to be.
You need to address all the concerns that you may have as soon as possible as this may affect the relationship more than you think. Leaving things hanging would only escalate the ill feelings that you or your partner may have and it may give your long distance boyfriend or girlfriend the wrong impression that you must simply not care about him or her anymore.
For this reason, you have to talk it out and try to understand your differing points. By doing so, you can actually reach a solution that will work for the both of you. Although, in some cases, I am aware that it is hard to find a common ground that will be of equal footing. Hence, if you find it difficult to work with the idea, consider giving in. I know that it may initially be a great blow on your ego, but is it really more important than keeping your beloved happy?
I’m not saying that you should just let it all slide and give them the upper hand, unless you want to build resentment that will explode in your face and wreak havoc on your relationship in the future. However, every once in a while, you ought to learn to just give in to him or her. It wouldn’t hurt to be at peace with your sweetie, now, would it?
The key here is to discuss problems and work on them together, instead of throwing bombs at each other. Bear in mind that you are both in the same team, so, his or her win is your win in as much as his or her loss is your loss as well.
You cannot have a relationship without arguments and you’d be silly enough to think you can just avoid them. Disagreements are simply a part of life and love. If you blatantly try to avoid any and all arguments or put them off in the hopes of it magically disappearing, then you are making a huge mistake because it will eventually come back to haunt you in the worst possible way in the future. If you do not discuss your concerns and resolve these problems together, it will manifest in other ways—which will only hurt you both more.
If you truly want your long distance relationship to work, you ought to set some ground rules and keep an open line of communication. Listen to each other—not just the words that your partner is saying—but more so, what their words are really trying tell you. Be open and share your feelings with each other. This is how you should best handle any argument in your relationship. Ultimately, it is just how true love works. So, talk it out and make it work. Go on and get started! ;)