Let’s be honest: long distance relationships can be challenging. The waiting, hoping, and wishing that your lover would come home and be close to you can be overwhelming. What is worse is when you are surrounded by a group of people who are always pointing out the negative sides of the relationship.
Granted, not everyone will encourage you to press on, especially when you are battling self doubt on the future of your long distance relationship. However, you should be very careful not to get immersed into the negative comments your friends may have .This is because if you pay too much attention to them, you may end up giving up on a relationship that could have worked.
So, how do you handle the negative comments from friends about your long distance relationship? Some of the tips you can use include:
1. Avoid them if you can
One of the best ways of dealing with negative friends is staying away from them. Think about it, do you need that kind of negativity in your life? What benefit do they add into your relationship?
If you constantly find yourself feeling stressed or worried over what your friends said about your love life, then it is time to think about the value they add into your life.
Honestly, you do not need people who always leave you feeling low. Get rid of the negative energy, and surround yourself with people who fill you with hope and make you feel better.
2. Tell them how you feel
Your friends and the people around you may be filling you with negative stories about high failure rates of long distance relationship and why they feel you need to walk out of it. Always remember that it is important for you to actually tell them how you feel.
Tell them to stop talking negatively about your relationship, and inform them that you respect your partner, and you would appreciate if they do the same. It may sound cold and rude, but sometimes is necessary to set boundaries for the sake of your relationship and your own happiness.
3. Listen, but follow your heart
Of course, not all the comments that your friends make are baseless. Sometimes, they are just giving their observations with the hope that they are helping you. Since they are not in the relationship, they are in a position to look at things objectively and tell you what you may not be seeing. You are allowed to listen to them and understand where they are coming from.
However, regardless of what your friends say, always follow your heart. You are the one who knows what your relationship is about, and the promises you and your partner made to each other before you got separated by physical distance.
4. Sometimes you have to ignore the comments
As much as there are friends who give comments because they are concerned, there are others who just want to see you miserable. They go the extra mile to look for reasons why they think your relationship will not work, and they ensure that every time they meet you, they feed you with their negative thoughts.
You may want to avoid them as earlier suggested, but sometimes it is not entirely possible. In that case, you should learn how to ignore them. They may say what they have in mind, but you do not have to take all of them in. sometimes, the best way to deal with negative talks about long distance relationships is to ignore them. When your fiends realize that you don’t take their negative talks seriously, they will ultimately stop.
5. Be sure of what you want
When you are sure of what you want in your relationship, comments from outsiders will not sway you much. It always starts with you: What do you want, and how do you want your relationship to be like?
When you have that figured out, you will be able to pursue the relationship with more passion and focus. Other people may try to discourage you, but when you and your partner are sure that you want the relationship to work, you will not be threatened by what other people are saying about you.
Always remember that you are in the relationship with your partner, and nobody else. Therefore, what they are saying about how you go about your business should be inconsequential. When you pay so much attention to their comments and suggestion, you will always be in conflict with your partner.
Focus on building your long distance relationship– reassure each other every time that you are in it together, and do not let your friends interfere with what you have.
