Going through a long distance relationship is hard on both people who are in it. I thought it would be a good idea to have a guy's perspective on this subject. I asked my boyfriend to write this post and I was surprised at how amazing it turned out.

Nicole (Nicole is Tiana’s middle name, she will probably laugh when she reads this) asked me to write a small blog post about surviving a long distance relationship. She wanted a guy’s point of view. Maybe an important notice: I didn't read Nicole’s part on how to survive a long distance relationship when I wrote this. Here we go!

Get used to different time zones

Between the Netherlands and Florida is a 6 hour difference in time. When I wake up at 10 am, its 4 am in Florida. This means talking/texting in my morning is not possible. Same goes for the evening. When I go to bed at around midnight, its only 6 pm in Florida. This means talking/texting in Nicole’s evening isn't possible either.

This was especially hard in the beginning. At this moment we are more used to it and we know around what time the other will wake up/go to sleep so we know when we can talk.

Don’t get frustrated, look at the future

Couples are everywhere: school, in the city, on Facebook, at parties, just everywhere. This can get pretty frustrating since Nicole and I are so far apart. At some point you really wish you were together and could be like all the other couples. Getting mad or frustrated won’t help. It is important to look at the future and know you will be together at some point of time. It is hard to say, but when you both believe in it, that day will come!

Motivation to work

Everyone will agree on this: you don’t work for fun. But this time I got an extra motivation to work. Seeing each other is expensive. A plane ticket is around 600 euro ($820). Besides that you want to have a good time so extra money is needed. I’ll start a new job on Monday so hopefully this will get us the money we need, faster. We decided it’s best if we both save money so the earlier we can see each other.

Waar een wil is, is een weg

Yup, this is a Dutch saying! It means: where there is a will, there is a way. Nicole and I go for this relationship 100% or more. This means we both try hard to see each other, make time for each other and make this work. I think this is a very important part of a long distance relationship. If you don’t go for it 100%, it would be better to stop and move on.

I could come up with many more points on how to survive a long distance relationship, but those 4 are the most important to me. I never wrote a blog post before so it’s a little new for me. I hope someone will read this who is also in a long distance relationship and know you are not the only one.

My last advice: Be strong! This is what I say when Nicole and I have a difficult moment. Be strong and never give up! 

I would just like to thank my boyfriend for doing this. He's really sweet.