It wasn't all that long along ago that I sent a Youtube link of Blink 182's "I Miss You" to my boyfriend of a week on AIM messenger, thinking having different lunch blocks was the furthest you could possibly ever feel from your person. Today, from long-distance loving to crazy work schedules, there are no shortage of reasons we start to miss our partners. While friendships, family, and coworkers can all provide love and support, when you really miss your partner it's perfectly understandable to feel a sense of loneliness. Rest assured, you are not alone, nor are your feelings silly or over dramatic.
Missing your boo can feel like someone's tugging at your heart. It can feel like you're waiting in the rain for a bus that's never going to arrive, or the last lecture before summer break that's going on forever. Due to technological advances, we can now stay connected across long distances and hectic weeks. Through phones and computers, it's easy to talk all day, as if you're together in person. However, this ability to stay constantly in contact can make it feel scary, sad, or rejected when you're not talking 24/7. Um, you haven't texted me in a day, did you like die?
The truth is — life happens, and sometimes tests, work, or phone-less family dinners mean that you can't text your boo every time you're missing them. Elite Daily spoke with four women about old-school, computer-less ways to cope with missing their partner.
I'll get us both disposable cameras, so we can take each other through a week or month of our life. We get the pics developed and write on the back what everything is, and send each other the pictures. It's more intentional that constantly texting and allows us to see things through each other's eyes.
—Jenn, 26
My partner and I are long-distance, and found visiting each other in our own cities could put a kind of pressure on whose city it was to plan a whole thing or to introduce the other person to so many people. It cut into our time together. We like to find random cities to meet in, that neither of us have been to, to explore together. When we're apart it's fun to plan where to go next.
—Yvonne, 24
My girlfriend and I like to leave notes and candy for each other without the other one knowing. It's fun because I'll find notes in my pockets or bags or on my dresser. When I start to miss her I know I can read the old ones or look for new ones.
—Sandiya, 19
When I'm missing my partner and feeling low about it, it's hard in the moment or ask or help or support, but I'm getting better at asking my friends for their help when I need it, and they're getting better at anticipating when I'm feeling low. I feel like I can tell my partner anything and they'll support me, but it's good to have other support systems too.
—A.J. 26
Feeling like your boo is a million miles away is hard. Taking time to send paper notes and photos can be a physical reminder of your connection. Planning future trips is a fun way to daydream and pass the lonely moments by. Remembering the large group of people who love you and want the best for you is another way you can feel loved and celebrated. It's totally normal to miss your partner when they're gone, but figuring out your own little ways of coping with feeling heartache, can make your time apart fly by and your time together even sweeter.
