Long distance relationships are fragile. They need to be handled really carefully. If you take good care of flowers, they bloom beautifully. But if not, what remains of them is an amorphous, withered mass. Long distance relationships are all about understanding and a bit of compromise.

I understand how difficult long distance relationships can be. I’d be meeting my boyfriend this month after 15 months and a day. I consider this quite a success as both my boyfriend and I are very much together. And if at all anything has changed: I have learnt to enjoy my own company as well.

I have a few ground rules that have helped me survive my relationship. These are not the only ones, but definitely the ones tried and tested by me.

#1. Evaluate for yourself if at all you are in a relationship. Do not let other superficial things like gifts and candles interfere. Remember that they only add flavour; they are not the main ingredients.

#2. Once established that you ARE in a relationship, try to find if it means the same to both of you and if you have similar expectations from it.

#3. It generally helps if your relationship is top priority for both of you. If one person falters at times, the other is right on his feet to drive the relationship back on track.

#4. Talk to each other as much as you can so that you don’t get a feeling that you know nothing about each other’s life. Share your reservations, worries and confusions.

#5. Share lots of jokes and gossips from your end of the world. Believe me this works great.

#6. Share pictures of your new hairstyles, make-up, glasses, laptop…just about anything new in your life so that your partner knows that he still knows everything about you. Warning: don’t overdo it! Knowing too much will kill the mystery that distance creates. Use this element of mystery creatively to discover new things about each other and explore your souls.

#7. Tell your partner every once in a while how much you love and miss him or her. Even though it’s a given this sort of assurance is required by all of us.

#8. Don’t compare and contrast your relationship with anyone else’s. Have faith that yours is a very mature and robust relationship just like wine and cheese that get better with age. So, be patient.

#9. Never underestimate the power of dialogue. Know that there is no problem in true love that can’t be solved with proper communication.

#10. Lastly, there will be tough times. Times when you can’t stand each other, when either of you might develop crushes or simply when something gets miscommunicated due to the distance. So, consider tough times as phases that make the relationship emerge out stronger rather than an end of something beautiful. You CAN work it out.