Does Distance Make the Heart Grow Fonder?

Summary: Long distance relationships can be hard. Nobody - or very few people - thinks to themselves 'Wow! I would love to live far away from my partner and only be able to see them once in a while or maybe not even once in a while and our whole relationship will basically be on the phone'. Yet, many people still find themselves embarking in long distance relationships because they’ve gone to university; they can’t move because of work; they can’t get a visa; or more recently because of whole-country lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic . As one of our listeners put it, it’s very easy to say you wouldn’t be in a long distance relationship until the person you love has to live away from you. And it’s true- we do many stupid things for love, and long distance may be one of them. But how hard are long distance relationships really? We tell our personal stories and what we find difficult, such as being sexually frustrated, feeling jealous of not being involved in our partner’s lives, irrationally worrying that they’re cheating, or feeling depressed when they leave after visiting. But we offer advice on how to get through these, and also talk about the benefits, and how sometimes it can really help the relationship grow. People in long distance relationships really have to work on their communication skills, meaning they maybe even have better conversations (because, let’s face it, that all they do even when they’re sexting or having phone sex) and develop their trust in ways people in normal relationships will never be able to experience. Sometimes they’re healthier than normal relationships, as codependence isn’t allowed to breed where it otherwise would. Long distance relationships truly do test your love for your partner, but they’re worth it. So, does distance make the heart grow fonder? We don’t know, but we do think it helps! Please don’t forget you can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser, and you can subscribe and rate us, too, wherever you get your podcasts! For more content or to contact us, follow us on Instagram: @sextraspodcast Facebook: Sextras Podcast Or email us at: sextraspodcast@gmail.com Produced by Mable Productions Original music by Sacha Puttnam