6 Ways To Express Love in a Long Distance Relationship

March 31, 2022

Just because long distance puts a physical distance between you and your partner does not mean it’s impossible to express love. While it may take more creativity and at times effort, expressing love does not require you to be sitting right next to your significant other.

Whether you’re looking for ways to stay connected in a long-distance relationship or if you’re just fresh out of ideas in general, we’ve got you covered. We’ve crafted six ways to express love for long-distance couples all of which are ways that will keep the spark between you and your long-distance lover alive.

#1: Write It Down in a Love Letter

If you’ve never considered sending a letter to your S.O, think again; this is an extremely meaningful and timeless way to express love, especially in an LDR. Texting, phone calls, and video chatting on Skype or Facetime are great, but it only goes so far.

There’s something about sitting down and taking the time to write in a letter all the things you love about someone that is so damn special. This could be because while letters are binding in that you only get one draft to work with… if you write something you don’t mean, you can’t delete certain parts as you would in a text message.

Don’t let this scare you off from learning how to write a love letter though. And even if you’re a well-seasoned expert in love letter writing, we could all use a few tips and tricks from time to time, right?

We think that the reason so many people love receiving letters is that once you receive it, it’s yours to keep and decide what to do with it, and it doesn’t typically require a response (shoutout snail mail) unlike the fast-paced nature of texting does. You can even send a care package to your loved one along with the letter.

#2: Take a Love Language Test With Your Significant Other

Please don’t underestimate the importance of learning your partner’s love language. This is surprising to many, but your love language can have immense effects on the outcome of your relationship, particularly a long-distance one, since it allows some love languages to shine, and others to suffer.

If you’re confused about what a love language even is, let’s backtrack. We all show love in different ways, but there are five main love languages that everyone expresses in a relationship, but some are way more prominent than others and it varies from person to person. Here are the five:

Words of affirmation
Quality time/spending time
Receiving gifts
Acts of service
Physical touch

You see how that last one could throw a wrench in an LDR, right? You can’t exactly cuddle after a date night. You must rely heavily on an emotional connection.

There are plenty of quizzes out there that will help you determine your top love languages, and you can compare them with your partner to see what matches up and what doesn’t. If physical touch is, in fact, your top love language or your partner’s (which is very common) do not worry; there are ways to fulfill these needs in a long-distance relationship, but it just might take a little more creativity. It’s worth it for your true love!

We typically have percentages of each love language (think of it like slices of a pie) and naturally, some slices are bigger than others. However, when one isn’t as prevalent, like physical touch, for example, this allows for other love languages to shine, this is achieved by paying more attention to them.

For example, if your long-distance lover’s top love languages are words of affirmation and physical touch, consider it your responsibility to make up for that gap in their love language by paying more attention to providing words of affirmation. There are so many heartwarming things to say to your long-distance partner.

Keep in mind that you have your own pie of love languages that also deserves to be recognized and fulfilled. This is why we recommend turning this test into a little date to see what your love languages are so that you can discuss how these love languages manifest in your long-distance relationship. If you are confused by your results or disagree with your love language distribution, your partner might be able to help you see how you do express love.

Love languages are all about balancing your needs with your partners, but we would argue that a proper balance is key to making a long-distance relationship work, therefore the sooner you find them out and discuss them, the better.

#3 Send Them a Lovebox as a Creative Way To Express Love

Lucky for us living in 2022, there are modern ways to express love that you may not even be aware of. This is perfect for couples who wish to express love long distance but aren’t obsessed with the idea of writing letters or constantly paying to send gifts to their door. This one-time purchase was literally made for long-distance lovers, and if you haven’t heard of it yet, you’ll soon understand why we’re so obsessed with it.

Lovebox for Lovers is a connected messaging device that pairs with an app for you and your long-distance lover to send messages, photos, and drawings. It takes advantage of technology in an aesthetically pleasing box so that you and your partner can communicate throughout the day without having to draft a text message or dial their number every time you’re thinking of them.

This is a perfect option for the busier couple, especially if you’re living in different time zones or if your work schedules don’t allow for frequent video calls and timely text exchanges. Whenever you’re missing the person, you can send them a silly drawing, a photo that reminded you of them, or whatever small ways you personally express love, and send it through the Lovebox app which will be instantly discoverable on their Lovebox.

We love this device because it’s adorable inside and out. Sometimes with new technology devices, they look clunky and difficult to handle, but the Lovebox has a simple, wooden appearance from the outside which can be kept by your bedside table or in a more public space within your home. Most importantly, we love the Lovebox because it’s a long-term way to express love, not a one-time effort.

#4: Start Your Own Two Person Book Club

Reading the same book as your partner at the same time is sooo romantic for some reason. It gives the same feeling as watching a movie at the same time or sharing a meal. There’s something about experiencing something at the same time as your partner that makes you feel connected and loved. This can be achieved through reading a book together even if you’re physically far apart. We bet you didn’t know there’s actually a running list of couples' book club books.

Even if you and your long-distance love aren’t avid readers, you should really give this idea a shot, because you might be pleasantly surprised about how good it feels to finish a book with your significant other. Picking a book can be like picking a movie, which can be a headache if you and your S.O. don’t share the same interests or favorite genres.

To help this, we recommend starting with a simple and easy read that you and your partner can both get through with ease. Take it slow — begin with maybe a chapter or two each week and schedule a Facetime or Zoom date to discuss what you did or did not like about the book.

If you’re getting a little weary of the long-distance movie dates or routine video calls, this is your perfect option and is certainly worth a try. If you both end up enjoying this idea and you decide to keep it up throughout your long-distance relationship, you will have a collection of books that got the two of you through long distance with ease.

#5: Make a Curated Spotify Playlist Expressing Your Love Through Music

There are so many ways to express your love for someone, and one of the easiest is through music. If you aren’t a particularly musical person yourself, we recommend creating a Spotify playlist to send to your partner. It can either be made up of songs the two of you enjoy listening to together when you’re in person, songs that remind you of your love, or simply one place with their favorite songs of all time.

Regardless, this is such a thoughtful gesture that your partner will appreciate for the remainder of your LDR- here’s how to make the perfect playlist so that you can get the ball rolling on the cutest playlist for your BF or GF.

Spotify also allows you to name your playlists and attach a cover photo of your choosing, so take advantage of this feature and title it something cute and add a favorite pic of the two of you. Your S.O. will be able to listen to it on the way to work, doing busy work around the house, or keep it on as the background playlist to their lives, all while thinking of you and your special relationship.

This is a reminder to keep it positive and as uplifting as possible! No matter how much the two of you miss each other, receiving a playlist entirely made up of sad and depressing music will leave your partner feeling more upset than they were before they received it, simply because it will remind them of how much they miss you. This playlist should make your partner feel special and make them smile… not ugly cry.

#6: Create a Countdown Until You Are Reunited Face to Face

We know that long-distance relationships can sometimes feel like they are dragging on indefinitely; this is especially true if you haven’t made plans to visit each other yet and a surprise visit isn’t in the cards right now.

Once you do have those plans in store, create a countdown either on your phone or on paper and share it with your long-distance boyfriend or girlfriend. There are apps out there that do this for you, or you could each write out a little countdown in your respective homes and cross out the days until you are both together again.

Keep the Spark Alive and Try New Ways To Express Love

Even if you think you and your partner have found the perfect routine to make long-distance relationships work, there will be times in the future that could complicate it, because that’s just life.

Whether you use these ideas now or down the line, they are all worth a try because we believe that expressing love is all about experimentation. You never really know what your partner is going to be touched by. So, what are you waiting for? Order that Lovebox, draft that letter, create that playlist… it’s time to make your long-distance love feel special!

Sources:

How to Make the Perfect Playlist | New York Times

The Importance of Learning Your Partner’s Love Language | NBMFT

Couples Book Club Books | Goodreads

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