Love & Relationships

Love & Relationships Archives »

How to Make Your Relationship Last Over the Summer

By Guillian Helm

Summer 2009

Summer is a time for fun, relaxation, and maybe some resume boosting on the side. However, for those of you who are in a relationship, these warm months can also mean a lot more stress than they should. Here are a few tips to help your love-fest last 'til next fall in spite of the ever-looming threat of "Grease"-style summer lovin'…

Set Up Some Ground Rules: Outside of Harvard and over the summer, relationship titles can get tricky. You can stay exclusive, have an open relationship or go on a break. Whatever you decide, make sure you both know what the final decision is—it makes it a lot easier when both people are on the same page. This way there are no fuzzy lines about how you should react if you spot a newly tagged Facebook picture of your guy and this skinny blonde chick at some bar in Majorca.

Communication Is Key: This point cannot be stressed enough. If you don't communicate or talk, then technically, there is no point in your relationship and you are just taking up space in the dating world. Technology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past few decades (and even in the past year!), so you have plenty of options. One great tool (an oldie but a goodie) is your cell phone. Your guy sucks at talking on the phone? No problem. Check out Skype or some other video chat service. This way you can simulate being in each other's presence, but the sexual tension will be even higher since you can't touch, which makes for a potentially very exciting time.

Don't Be Afraid to Mix Things Up: Since you guys aren't going to be in each other's physical presence, you will have to get creative. If you have fantasies, share them. If you have a webcam, use it. I'm sure you get the picture. On another note, feel free to branch out from the digital. While love letters might seem archaic, they still are great to receive and are about ten times better than an email because you can carry it around in your pocket or purse and read it whenever you want.

Be Mature: Jealousy can rear its head in any number of situations. However, if you both decided to have an open relationship and you hear that your guy took someone out on a date, you need to take a deep breath and calm down. If you make rules, please keep them. If you know you are the jealous type, then I would opt for the 'exclusive' status rather than an open relationship, because even if your guy is not actually becoming the new town bicycle, at least you won't have to worry about it. Just remember that it is okay for members of the opposite sex to be friends. (It also doesn't hurt to have a friend who is in the same area to keep an eye on your significant other as well…)

Make Plans: Nothing makes time fly better than having something to look forward to. If you are conveniently located near each other (like in the same country or on the same coast) then plan a weekend trip in the mid-summer to get some face time. If you are farther apart geographically then make plans to get together before school starts. It doesn't need to be anything crazy like renting a cabin in the woods (although that has its own appeals) but you can even just plan on moving back on campus early to spend some quality time together.

Don't Forget: As the saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." With this in mind, you both can look forward to the sparks that will fly once you are back together in the fall.