Long-Distance Love—How to Keep the Romance Going During Isolation
by Amna Shamim
You thought you had two more months together and now your sweetheart is across the country. You miss them and they miss you but it’s hard to get that same feeling of closeness when all you’re doing is texting your lover. Texting doesn’t have the warmth of touch, the sound of their voice or the visual appeal of their face (and other parts.)
But you don’t have to limit yourself to text or even the boring, traditional “how was your day” call that you might be doing. Spice it up and keep your relationship going despite the distance and when there is no clear end in sight. Here’s how:
Share a meal on Skype or FaceTime
Hop on a video call and make sure you focus on them! Sit down at a table with your laptop or phone camera across from you and act like you’re out on a date. Dress up as if you’re going out to a nice meal at your favorite restaurant. Talk to each other and really listen. Use headphones so any random noises or movements from roommates or family members can’t distract you from focusing on them.
You can’t play footsie under the table during a Skype meal but you can still show you care by really listening and talking to one another.
Cook together
You can level up your date night by preparing a meal together before you sit down to eat it together. Pick out a recipe you both like and prepare it with each other on Skype or Facetime. You’ll be able to carry on the same banter and lean on each other’s expertise as you go.
As an added bonus, you’ll be sitting down to the same date meal at the end of it. You can continue to eat these shared dishes well after the pandemic has ended. Your favorites (and the biggest failures) will be memories you share and you can make the good ones for special events.
Watch a movie together
Use Netflix Party to watch the same movie or your series on Netflix together. You can also use twoseven to watch things on Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and other online streaming services. Choose a movie you both want to see or keep on top of your regular shows by watching them together at exactly the same time. Make sure to snuggle up with a blanket and some snacks and carry on the same conversation you would have in person (or none!)
Don’t neglect your sex life
There are lots of long-distance sex toys but you don’t have to spend money to get off. Mutual masturbation can be really hot, especially if you both describe (in lots of sexy detail) what you’re doing and feeling. This can be a huge turn-on for everyone and can help you learn more about how to get each other off.
You can also spice it up by letting your partner dictate what you’re doing and vice versa. If you have any specific fantasies, now would be a good time to role-play them and see how it feels.
Share your everyday experience
The easiest way to share your everyday experience and let your lover feel like a part of your life is by sending photos of the things that are happening. You might think the cookies you baked are boring but your partner will probably look forward to trying them later when you’re together again. And you’ll feel seen and heard by sharing, and closer to them for knowing what their day-to-day without you (for now!) entails.
Send gifts and love notes
It can be by mail or text but let them know you’re thinking about them and missing them. Out of sight doesn’t have to mean out of mind and let them know that.
This doesn’t have to be an expensive or time-consuming process. Text them when you’re thinking about them and share the thought. They’d love to know you’re fondly reminiscing about a past date or sleepover. If you happen to be fondly reflecting on lots of your sexual memories, see the point below.
Sext regularly
Keep them looking forward to your sexy times by sharing your naughty thoughts. You can type them up or send voice notes they can listen to for extra inspiration during their solo sessions. If you’re comfortable sending photos, those can be very inspiring as well.
If you’re completely new to sexting and not sure how to start, Glamour has a great sexting guide you can use to get the ball rolling.
Go on adventures together
Take advantage of all the free places you can visit from your sofa and explore them together. Just because you can’t afford a ticket to Paris to visit the Louvre doesn’t mean you can’t have a romantic adventure in that city’s most famous museum.
Google’s Arts and Culture Project enables you to explore some of the most famous museums and cultural sites around the world with your lover, no matter where you are. You can go to Stonehenge one night and to the Sydney Opera House the next.
Play games together
It can be an online game or a board game on your phone but pick something you’ll both enjoy. Something on Tabletopia is good for game nights whereas a game like Words With Friends is best for sporadic game playing. If you want to feel more like you’re in person with them, you can set up avatars on a platform like Avakin.com and live your relationship digitally, making it as much of a game or as much like real life as you want.