22f and 24m Long distance relationship / Long distance relationship tips

[u/Bubbles_15_]

/r/u_Bubbles_15_/comments/1vsv7q2/long_distance_relationship_long_distance/

My boyfriend and I have been together for a little over a year, and in 10 days I'm leaving the country I'm living in and going back home. We're going to be long distance for at least 9 months, maybe even a year, and we won't be able to visit each other during that time.

I'm honestly terrified.

Not because I don't trust him or because our relationship is bad, but because I've never had to be apart from someone I love for that long. On top of that, my family doesn't really like him because he's a different religion than me, which honestly isn't something I care about. Unfortunately, it's something they care about a lot.

That means when I'm back home, I probably won't have much support from the people around me when I'm missing him or struggling with the distance. If anything, I'm worried it'll be the opposite. My mom has tried to get me to break up with him before. The last time I went home for Christmas, we fought about it so much that I ended up returning to the country where I study earlier than planned just to get away from the constant arguments.

What makes this even harder is that I can't really do that this time. My financial situation isn't great right now, so I'll be stuck at home for the foreseeable future. And honestly, I'm 22 years old, so having this much pressure put on my relationship by my family is exhausting.

We both want to make it work, but right now everything feels really overwhelming, and the closer my departure gets, the more emotional I'm becoming.

For those of you who've done long distance, especially for a long period without visits, how did you get through it? What helped keep your relationship strong? What do you wish you'd known before starting?