

{"id":58136,"date":"2020-05-08T06:53:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T06:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/keep-your-long-distance-relationship-exciting\/"},"modified":"2023-03-06T10:55:40","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T10:55:40","slug":"keep-your-long-distance-relationship-exciting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/keep-your-long-distance-relationship-exciting\/","title":{"rendered":"A Simple Hack to Keep Your Long Distance Relationship Exciting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16786 size-full\" title=\"A Simple Hack to Keep Your Long Distance Relationship Exciting\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/a-simple-hack-to-keep-your-long-distance-relationship-exciting-1605852621.jpg\" alt=\"Young Man In Sad Saint Valentine Concept\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Married life is tough. On top of it, if married life comes to the brink of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/ways-to-survive-a-long-distance-relationship\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">surviving a long-distance relationship<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it becomes all the more difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a marriage, sometimes everything works out according to plan, and other times you get stuck struggling through a rough patch. There&rsquo;s no helping it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Life has its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/9-ways-to-manage-the-ups-and-downs-in-your-relationship\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ups and downs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and marriage is a lifetime deal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Learning how to cope with the inherent problems that pop up from time to time is part of the experience of growing into a mature couple together.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our-marriage-story\"><\/span>Our marriage story<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our journey started with the usual newlywed trials, so we took the age-old advice, we <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/communication\/4-tips-for-improving-communication-in-a-marriage\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">improved our communication<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, formed healthy habits, and got into a routine of maintaining our relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It sounds so clinical on paper, but we did thrive just being in each other&rsquo;s company and enjoying our new life together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then came the period of our marriage no one had warned us about because it&rsquo;s not the traditional scenario. My husband got a great job offer across the country, and we just couldn&rsquo;t turn it down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pay was much more than we could hope for, but going beyond finances, I knew it was his dream job, and he may not get this opportunity again if I asked him to pass on it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I just couldn&rsquo;t take that away from him, but I also couldn&rsquo;t make the jump to uproot my whole life and follow him, at least right away. It was such an uncertain time in our relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We never for a moment considered this to be a threat to our marriage. If other couples could make it work, so could we.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It wasn&rsquo;t going to be forever, just until we had the time to set up a new home and the stability to know his job was going to be everything we had hoped it would be.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-beginning-of-our-long-distance-relationship\"><\/span>The beginning of our long-distance relationship<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16787 size-full\" title=\"The beginning of our long-distance relationship\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/the-beginning-of-our-long-distance-relationship-1605852622.jpg\" alt=\"Parr On Arrival Or Verabschiedeung On A Platform At A Station\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The day finally came when he made the big move. We had prepared as best as we could with advice from our friends and family.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We made sure to schedule weekly video calls across time zones. We texted daily whenever we had a moment and wanted to connect, and for the first few weeks, it wasn&rsquo;t that bad.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We used all the tools to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/physical-intimacy\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">maintain our intimacy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that we could think of, and at the time, we hadn&rsquo;t heard of bond bracelets yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I thought we had it all figured out for our long-distance relationship until he came back for his first monthly visit. And, it floored me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I guess we got caught up in the excitement of the first big move, and the adrenaline hadn&rsquo;t worn off until we made it through that first month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After having seen him, and held him, and been in his presence for a little while, seeing him leave for the second time was excruciating.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&rsquo;ve ever been in a long-distance relationship, you&rsquo;ll know the type of pain I&rsquo;m talking about.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-missing-aspect-of-our-long-distance-relationship\"><\/span>The missing aspect of our long-distance relationship<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I didn&rsquo;t know what was missing, but I knew he felt it too and was too afraid to bring it up. I wracked my brain over it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We talked every day, or at least as often as we usually did when he was at home, communication didn&rsquo;t seem to be the problem. I saw him too, and he was always on my contacts, and our video calls helped bridge that gap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I had a little bit of his cologne that I kept at my makeup station. I had all these little reminders, and I knew he kept his own, but it just didn&rsquo;t feel the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>We couldn&rsquo;t fulfill one sense- the touch, and comfort of the significant other&rsquo;s presence.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was more than just the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/save-your-marriage\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">embrace of someone you love<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and when he was home, there were those little pats on the back or pecks on the cheek.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was those spontaneous moments when I felt his touch and the beautiful connection it sparked.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Touch-bracelets-for-couples\"><\/span>Touch bracelets for couples<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I started researching on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpguide.org\/articles\/relationships-communication\/nonverbal-communication.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">non-verbal communication<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, especially touch communication, after I realized what we missed in our long-distance relationship. I knew we weren&rsquo;t the first ones to become touch starved after a prolonged separation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was when I came across HEY bracelets, and looking back, this is probably the tool that helped us revitalize our marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We got a matching pair and synced them so that when he touched his bracelet, I would feel a gentle grasp on my wrist, and I could give him the same feeling too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This little bit of technology that seemed so intuitive and natural could do what hours of texting or nights of video calls couldn&rsquo;t. It finally closed the gap that was forming between us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We laugh about it now. How we tried all these conventional devices and traditional advice for our very modern problem, but at least we&rsquo;re here now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&rsquo;s hard to communicate just what the bond bracelets were able to do, so I&rsquo;ll give you an example.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I&rsquo;m having my morning cup of coffee is just about when he&rsquo;s coming home from work. In the past, he&rsquo;d just give me a good evening kiss and sit with me awhile, watching tv or doing his own thing online.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He had started coming up with these little anecdotes from work to text me on his commute home, his way of making up for his absence. But at the time, I&rsquo;d be preparing breakfast or getting ready for work, so I never read it until an hour or so later when I was at work, and he was getting ready for bed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such a simple little disconnect is bound to happen in any long-distance relationship, but it adds up over time, and it makes us feel worlds apart. Now, I wear my HEY bracelet, and when I feel the gentle squeeze on my wrist, I know at that exact moment he just thought of me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I probably know his schedule better now than I did before. He likes to give me a little touch during his morning and evening commute. I send him a &lsquo;touch&rsquo; on my breaks at work, or just to respond to him, so he knows I felt him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That&rsquo;s one of the beauties of touch connecting bracelets. <\/span><b>We were no more struggling to squeeze in a phone call or sending rambling texts to compensate for the distance and time-lapses.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-magic-of-bond-bracelets\"><\/span>The magic of bond bracelets<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16788 size-full\" title=\"The magic of bond bracelets\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/the-magic-of-bond-bracelets-1605852622.jpg\" alt=\"Couple Holding Each Other Hand With Bond Bracelets\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bond bracelets gave us a simple solution to our biggest problem, and we could use it any time we felt like it. They&rsquo;re so comfortable I can wear them all day long, and the design made it blend into most of my outfits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyone who glanced over at it assumed it was a fancy wristwatch, and I preferred it that way so it could stay a single thing, just between the two of us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right now, I have no idea what I&rsquo;d do without my HEY bracelet and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3973922\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">power of touch<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having been practicing social distancing for the past few weeks, I&rsquo;m sure I wouldn&rsquo;t have been able to receive even the lightest of touch without it, especially since I&rsquo;m technically living alone without him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It came with the perfect timing too, because he&rsquo;s avoiding travel, we haven&rsquo;t been able to meet for our usual monthly reunions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&rsquo;s really the best for both of us, from the relationship perspective as well as our health perspective. And, it would have stung so much more if I didn&rsquo;t have that gentle little touch by my side like he&rsquo;s grasping my wrist for a small, supporting gesture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>I rarely feel like I&rsquo;m alone these days, and weirdly enough, I probably feel his presence more than I would have had he been at home.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I know that wherever he is in the world, I can let him know I&rsquo;m thinking of him, I love him, and I&rsquo;m there for him, even if for the moment &ldquo;there&rdquo; means a few thousand miles away.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I never knew how much his absence was affecting me, how the long-distance relationship was impacting so many aspects of my life until I got a hold of these HEY bracelets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though he hates to make a big deal of these sentimental things, he surprisingly told me he felt the same way too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He could never really live his dream job with our long-distance relationship, without me by his side But, with the help of our bond bracelets, we&rsquo;re one step closer to getting there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more tips on surviving a long-distance relationship, watch this video.<\/span><br><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hEWoLoN4wuw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Married life is tough. On top of it, if married life comes to the brink of surviving a long-distance relationship, it becomes all the more difficult. In a marriage, sometimes everything works out according to plan, and other times you get stuck struggling through a rough patch. There&rsquo;s no helping it. Life has its ups and downs, and marriage is a lifetime deal. Learning how to cope with the inherent problems that pop up from time to time is part of the experience of growing into a mature couple together. Our marriage story Our journey started with the usual newlywed <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":834,"featured_media":58137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2502],"tags":[2607],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58136"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/834"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58136"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63793,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58136\/revisions\/63793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}