5 Potential Activities for Long-Distance Relationships
By: Synthia Satkuna, Ma Candidate
Tags: Self Improvement, Relationships, Long Distance, Mental Health, Dating

I say these encouraging things as someone who is highly empathetic and has worked closely with individuals and couples to make sense of their overarching problems, particularly as a crisis supporter and an active listener.

If you can get through this drama, then you have the capacity to keep going. If anything, wear this circumstance as a badge of honour. Your relationship hit a roadblock, and you came swinging, using your creativity to keep yourself and your partner satiated enough to keep going.

Either way, here are some suggestions on how to celebrate 2021 with your long-distance partner.

1. Cook a Meal “Together”

While it’s not the same as being together physically, you can set up your monitor or device in the kitchen, or bring parts of the kitchen to your device. If you haven’t already, install one of those remote conferencing or video chatting apps, like Zoom, Skype, Messenger, or even FaceTime.

You can lay out the basic ingredients for something that you want want to make. Perhaps you can keep the recipe or meal simple to avoid any kitchen-related mishaps. In real-time, you can critique one another and crack jokes at one another.

Photo by Dan Counsell on Unsplash — Keep it simple to avoid mishaps.

Maybe you can make a contest out of it, and see who has the better-looking meal. Maybe you can pretend that you’re on MasterChef or Hell’s Kitchen, running around while pretending that Gordon Ramsay is screaming at you to get it together.

Maybe one of you can play music associated with the show.

2. Agree to Watch Something Online

Sure, you’re in two different places, but you can set up the time to watch a movie “together”. Even far apart, sentimentality and love are still there. Maybe you can sport coordinating outfits and have similar snacks.

Plus, if you’re really hard-pressed against making such elaborate arrangements, maybe you can sit down and watch a live stream together, such as a remote concert or comedy show on websites like Youtube and Twitch.

Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash — You can still watch things together, even remotely.

Even if you settle on an old video or an agreed-upon movie classic, you can film one another's reactions during certain parts of the show, video, or movie, especially if something super funny or dramatic happened.

Maybe you can make a meme reaction out of it, and have a silly inside joke between the two of you. Maybe one of you will go viral because of it. Either way, you now have some moments, like your partner exclaiming surprise during your favourite scene from a movie.

3. Have a Spontaneous Fashion Show

It sounds silly, but with the power of technology, you can try something fun and spontaneous, like trying out the various outfits in your room. Maybe you can help one another find the perfect outfit.

This outfit could be for a hypothetical future date, or something you plan to wear for tomorrow morning. You get to have fun with what you already have, and you didn’t even have to spend major bucks for that to happen.

Plus, you can boost your confidence by doing a silly little dance, a semi-serious catwalk strut, or even tease your partner with something that they personally enjoy.

Photo by BBH Singapore on Unsplash — Maybe they’re having fun with their wardrobes.

You might get bonus points if you are able to play funny music during the whole situation. Maybe when your partner does their fake catwalk, you can play a video with some appropriate but funky music.

Make those little moments count, even if they’re fleeting, because it’s easy to take them for granted.

4. Roleplay a Mock Vacation

While we can’t travel, don’t let that stop you from pretending to have one.

Maybe one partner can pretend to be the budding tourist guide, and you can pretend to be the naive tourist. Maybe both of you can pretend to be two strangers meeting at the bar for the first time.

Think of it as a role-play or as a chance to show off your acting chops. Maybe in this adventure, one of you is a secret agent, and the other is also a secret agent, and you’re trying to outwit one another to get to the bottom of your mystery.

Photo by Free To Use Sounds on Unsplash — I honestly don’t have the context for this.

If you’re on a video conferencing app, you can change the background behind you to resemble a remote tropical paradise. You can even dress up as you please, perhaps opting to wear matching Hawaiian shirts.

Even if it’s not the same as the real thing, the ambience and mood can still be closely emulated. Maybe you can play certain songs or instruments to heighten the mood if you wanted.

5. Do Remote Acts of Kindness

Even if we’re not physically there, we can still help out our partners in other ways. If one partner is financially struggling where they are at, maybe you can send some funds to them online. If you’re struggling, they can reciprocate back.

Perhaps you can call their roommate (if they have one) and ask them to decorate your partner’s place for their birthday. Sure, this requires a fair bit of extra work due to the remote planning, but relationships are worth the effort you put into it.

Photo by Chase Chappell on Unsplash — It’s okay to make virtual plans, I promise.

Plus, even if they don’t have a roommate, maybe you can remotely order their favourite food to be delivered to their house and request a fancy little love note to be left behind.

You can pay for the order, alleviating a little bit of the sadness that your partner may feel.