Long Distance Relationships
Turning Two-Faced: How NOT To Cheat On Your Long-Distance Partner
There are a lot of challenges in store for you if you’re in a long-distance relationship. With the tedious search to find ways to communicate with each other, not to mention the lack of physical contact can be rather trying. But possibly the real problem that blights almost all long-distance relationships is the issue of trust and confidence in the fidelity and commitment of your partner: the constant worrying of how your lover is getting on far away from you, what your lover is doing at the moment, and whom your lover is doing it with.
This is not to say that this is a one-sided problem, and there are times when you might find yourself doing the exact same thing that you often lost sleep over. Suddenly, you might find yourself spending just a little too much time with a “friend”, having constant and sometimes flirty conversations, and just being less concerned about your long-distance lover. Uh-oh! Does this mean you're cheating? Maybe you are, or maybe you’re not; it all depends on how far you've gone and what you feel. Indeed, you have to find ways to avoid that forbidden but oh-so-sweet temptation knocking on your door. The best way to do so is to know what not to do
Brush it off.
Everything big always starts with something small. Cheating often begins in the same way. Sure, you think that it’s just a harmless little flirtation, or you’re just spending time together because it’s fun company, but if you’re not being careful, you'll forget where to draw the line. Before you know it, it has become something serious and damaging. Nip it in the bud. As they say, prevention is better than cure.
Think that the burden’s too hard to bear.
This is a very cowardly way out. You suddenly realize that you cannot bear not being able to see or touch your lover every day, so you suddenly decide to make a bid for freedome. Before you do this, ask yourself honestly whether you’re breaking it off because you are truly unhappy, or you’ve found an easier substitute. Better yet, ask yourself BEFORE committing to a long-distance relationship and see if you can handle the strain.
Believe that out of sight is out of mind.
You might think that it doesn't matter if you cheat because your partner won't know. This is where karmic hell comes into the picture. If you really think that you can get away with it because of the miles between you, think again. Somehow, someway, the information is going to come out, and not only will you have a very angry (if distant) lover on your hands, but most likely, the person you’re cheating with will also find out just what kind of a person you are.
If you believe that your relationship, despite the distance, is worth sticking to, then good for you. Fighting temptation is one thing, but you also have to live your life and do all you can to keep the relationship going.
Get out and have some fun.
The fun meant here the “good and clean” kind of fun, not the kind that you know will land you in hot water. Go out with friends, have a night on the town, and have a drink or two. Do whatever it takes to get that persistent little urge out of your system, and do it in a way that no one gets hurt.
Don’t leave out the romance.
Affection and sweet nothings can still be shared with your lover, even if physical contact is out of the question. There are so many ways to share a special moment with your special someone, regardless of the miles between you. Compose a poem on an e-mail, write a letter, or simply call for no reason. By doing small things like these, you make sure that your bond is still strong and will remain strong.
Always bear in mind that a rose called by any other name still smells just as sweet. In other words, a relationship is a relationship, whether it’s long-distance, or you're living together. No matter what the circumstances, you made promises, verbal and direct, to stay faithful to each other and to love and care for each other. Cheating, in whatever form or degree, undermines these promises. Distance, after all, is not a measure of the strength of a relationship.