Today marks Carlos and Jane's 5th year anniversary of being boyfriend-girlfriend. To some, 5 years might not even be that long but to us, it has already been long.

So in this blog, we will be sharing with you the secret on how we were able to maintain a long and happy relationship.

A Little Background About Our Relationship

Our relationship isn't the same typical kind of boyfriend-girlfriend relationship - not even the typical long-distance relationship either. Because our relationship is both long-distance and opposite time zone. Yes, it sure is so hard that when it is time for me to sleep, that is when he wakes up and when it is time for me to wake up, that is the time when he gets to sleep. Our relationship requires a lot of sacrifices and adjustments especially because their time changes when it's Daylight Saving Time.

So how did we do it?

Tips on Making Your Relationship Last

1. Trust each other

One thing that is very important in relationships is trust. If you don't trust your partner, it'll be really hard to have a happy relationship because without trust, you'll end up always being suspicious about every little thing your partner does and trust me, that is really hard. At the same time, also take care of your partner's trust because once you lose it, it'll be so hard to take it back.

2. Find time to do things together

This will be a lot easier with people who are near each other because they can just simply visit each other or go out and hang out a bit but to long-distance relationship couples out there, this can be a bit tricky. As to me and Carlos, we usually watch movies on Netflix together. I would call him on Skype, share my screen and then we could already watch the same show at the same time. That might be some little things but those little things count a lot. If you can visit that person, try your best to.

3. Accept each other's differences

Surely, both of you will have differences because no two individual share the same fingerprint which means, no two individuals are the same. Carlos and I have a lot of differences: he loves cars, I don't; he loves Sci-fi movies, I don't; our taste in music are different, he is mature in the way he think and I am so childish. But, we learn to accept those difference and respect it. We do watch Sci-fi movies together, too but we also watch Korean dramas (which I love) and he actually ended up loving it, too.

4. Always be open to each other

For us, we never hide secrets to each other. When there would be someone who will chat me from my past, I always tell him. When there is someone who'd say "Hi" to me when I am on my way to the market, I tell him. When there is something that pisses me off, I tell him and he does the same thing, too. We always share to each other what happens to our day. And of course, this also means, never lie to each other - always be truthful.

5. Never let a fight last for more than a day

In relationships, there will always be fights and yes, that is normal. It is like the spices in a relationship and if you handle it well, it is something that could make your relationship stronger. Carlos and I have a rule to never let a fight last for more than a day. Whenever we fight, we always try our best to resolve it as soon as we can. I guess, I couldn't even remember when we have fought long. I guess, we also just can't resist each other.

6. Have Fun Together

It is also a good thing to have fun together - just by simply being silly around each other. Trust me, Carlos already has almost 2,000 silly screenshots of me. And we keep laughing about it all the time. The bad thing is, I try to get back at him by taking silly screenshots of him too but, he still look cute and handsome though while me, I look really silly and dumb. But, it's okay. We're just enjoying each other's company.

6. Communication is the key

When Carlos and I first got together, communication was really hard since the only phone I got was a keypad phone that couldn't even connect to the internet. The only medium of our communication was my mom's laptop and there would be times when my mom would bring the laptop to her office so I really can't communicate the whole day or worst, the whole week (if my mom decides to leave the laptop at her office). But, I was determined to keep the communication. I would go to our internet café just to be able to message him but the thing is, when I do that, he is asleep so he couldn't even respond. I remembered being there for an hour waiting for him to respond and when he finally responded, it was already the last 5 minutes of my time at the internet café and I didn't have any money left anymore. We weren't in a relationship yet at the time - we were still getting to know each other. Sometimes, he would call me directly on my phone but, it will only be for few minutes since calling to the Philippines is way too expensive. And then one day, Carlos decided to send me a phone just so we could communicate. I got the phone but the next problem was, the internet signal was too slow that we couldn't even talk well when we video call. It will always say "Internet connection problems...". But that didn't hinder us. We were like BDO - we find ways.

Until now, our internet connection is already fast so it has gotten a lot easier but sometimes, when I go to places that doesn't have signal, we couldn't communicate but we always find a way to communicate as much as we can.

Usually, we would even be on a video call almost 24/7 when I am just at home. We see how each other sleeps - I could even hear him snore and I kept joking to him that his snore is so loud that it even reached the Philippines! Haha :D

So yes, no matter how hard it can be, try to keep communicating to each other. It is the most important thing. Yes, it is said that

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

But always remember, too much absence can also lead to that person forgetting about you.

Take This From Me:

Being in a relationship isn't always easy - there will be a lot of ups and downs or even twists and turns. But if you really love each other and if you are really meant to be together, love will always find a way to keep you both together. It is a very nice feeling to be in love and be loved in return but the best feeling is falling in love with the same person you fell in love with over and over again. So, I hope this blog would at least help you in maintaining a happy and long relationship. I guess, most of these you already know but just take this as a reminder in case you forget.

If you want to read my previous blogs, check them out here:

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

CarlosAndJane | An Introduction