For many international students at AAU when they came to study in Prague they had to leave the ones closest to them behind. Couples were faced with the tough decision to either stay together or go their separate ways. The term “long-distance relationship” may sound like something doomed to fail from the start and for some people this may be so; however, many have found that quite the opposite is true.
A study conducted by The Journal of Communication has found that due to the distance between them, couples are likely to share more intimate information about themselves than if they were to see each other every day in person. “It allows people to appreciate the other person a lot more and not take their company for granted,” says first year student Katherine Heighway when asked what were some benefits of being in a long distance relationship.
AAU students who are in long-distance relationships have even found that there are some up sides to being separated from each other besides a more intimate bond. Heighway has found that she can now focus on other important issues “I like that since I don’t see him, I am less distracted from school and have a more involved social life.”
Even though a long-distance relationship can strengthen certain aspects of a relationship there are also many things that a long-distance relationship lacks. Many find that it is nearly impossible to replace seeing the ones they love in person making a long-distance relationship a very unsatisfactory option. “It is very normal to struggle with this issue,” says Dr. Ivana Schmidtova, AAU’s career, personal development and psychological counselor, “But the worst thing is to stay alone with negative thoughts.”
