Long Distance Relationship Ideas: 4 Ways to Show You Care

In many ways, long distance relationships thrive on ideas.

Long distance couples aren't together in person as often as non-distance couples can be, and lacking that physical component can challenge the relationship sometimes.

But fortunately, long distance couples have ideas to share with each other, and sharing those ideas can help close the gap created by physical distance. Sometimes your ideas may be profound -- like hopes and dreams. Other times, sweet gestures of affection that show you care can can do the trick.

In a long distance relationship? Here are ideas for kind gestures to share with your loved one.

1. Send snail mail. We can communicate faster than ever, often caught up in a blur of emails, texts, and video chats. While all that stuff is great for keeping a relationship live and well, there is something special and personal about receiving a hand-written note. Consider writing one to your significant other and sending it their way.

2. Give them something they can keep with them. You may not be there in person, but you can send over a gift that would be easy to carry. Of course, the ideal gift would depend on your partner. They may like a necklace, or a picture, or maybe even a personalized key chain that expresses how you care. In short, something simple and portable.

3. Suggest a date night. Rather than relying on daily catch-ups, try having a "date night." Share a meal via Skype/FaceTime/etc. Follow it with a movie you watch at the same time. In other words, have a leisurely evening together, even if you're far apart.

4. Surprise them with a visit. Not everyone has the cash to pull this off (or the time, if you're really far away), but if you can pull it off without too much duress, consider a surprise visit. Have an idea of your partner's schedule for the weekend before starting your travels, though. You don't want to drop by on a really busy weekend!

Don't let physical space get the best of your long distance relationship. Simple ideas can go a long way in showing you care, which forges an emotional connection that can overcome miles.

Ex has PTSD? Recent breakup? 3 tips on how to heal.

It's no secret that ending a relationship is difficult, even if it's an amicable split. But if you're fresh from a relationship where your partner suffered from PTSD, the breakup can be downright disorientating.

Here, we're going to talk about healing. Not bitterness, or anguish, or woulda-coulda-shoulda. It's healthy and expected to experience some of those things during a split, but getting stuck there too long can do a number on your well-being.

While some of these tips can apply to any and all breakup woes, others are geared toward partners who may be experiencing indirect effects of being close to someone with post traumatic stress disorder.

Supporting someone with PTSD can sometimes compromise psychological state (especially if the sufferer is not receiving treatment), and breakups are notoriously difficult, but you can heal from all of it. Here are three tips to get you started.

1. Get help.

Of course, the default advice is to reach out to someone who can provide professional help. For many leaving relationships with post traumatic stress sufferers, this is important and critical advice. More often than not, PTSD affects both the sufferer and the care-givers. An honest self assessment about the extent of the impact can help you determine whether you could benefit from more structured care as you move on.

Even if you don't seek face-to-face professional guidance, there are many resources available for better understanding PTSD and its possible effect on you, the care-giver. Some examples are the book Shock Waves and Courage Under Fire. Even though these books are positioned towards individuals and families working through the complications of PTSD, they're still useful resources for unpacking some of the complicated emotions and reactions that may be swirling around your head.

A quick note, though. Don't get too hung up on this stuff. Get educated, yes. Work through it. But also try to recognize when education is slipping into obsessive thinking about the past.

2. Write a letter. Don't send it.

One of the most challenging hurdles for relationships and PTSD is feeling an inability to connect. It affects sufferer and partner alike. In the aftermath of a breakup, this lack of connection can manifest into icy cold silence that haunts the partner.

A gut reaction may be to reach out. Get answers. Tie up loose ends.

In most cases, that won't happen. And it sucks. Chances are, the no contact rule will be your best option.

This is where writing a letter you don't send comes in handy. Scribble down all your feelings. Reflect on your past. Tell them what you want, what would make it all better.

An interesting thing may happen when you go to write your request that you think would solve it all. You may notice the request is not possible, really. That it's a wish for a person who, if you're being honest, isn't there anymore. At least, not for the foreseeable future.

You may then slowly accept that, while your pain is valid, your wishes are unlikely to happen. And that you may gradually accept the relationship's demise.

3. Ground yourself. (In a good way.)

We're not talking punishment here -- we're talking about staying in the moment.

Chances are you've grown accustomed to navigating a world where flashbacks can throw everything off kilter. And now that you're away from the relationship, you may be having flashbacks of your own, trying desperately to make sense of what happened and what went wrong.

Caught up in an episode from the past? Ground yourself in the present.

Near a chair? Touch it. Grab a cup of coffee, perhaps. Maybe you would benefit from focusing on something in front of you. Others prefer to return to a mantra, or perhaps the lyrics of a song they really love.

Whatever brings you back to the present, use it. And stay with it. Allow thoughts of the past to fade.

PTSD is notoriously difficult on relationships, and the aftermath of a breakup where a partner was suffering from post traumatic stress can be similarly demanding. These tips are far from conclusive, but they should be a decent start for developing a new stage in your life that you can celebrate.