Long Distance Love: When the distance isn't so long anymore

It's nearly here. The day you've both been waiting for! School, work or whatever else has been keeping you from your paramour is nearly over and you're looking forward to seeing the end of the long distance part of your relationship. Though feelings of excitement, joy and longing are sure to be running high, you're likely also feeling some trepidation and perhaps regrets about what you didn't accomplish while you were on your own.

Coming to the end of the long distance phase can be a stressful time, so here are some tips to help get you through the home stretch:

- Figure out the logistics. If you're planning to live together once the distance is no longer a factor, make sure you have housing figured out well before your partner comes home. Leaving it until the last minute can create a lot of unnecessary stress on you and your relationship.

- Prioritize your to-do list. At the beginning of this stint apart, you made a list of things you wanted to accomplish, not just to pass the time but so that you had something to work towards and be proud of. But now, you're looking at that list thinking you didn't get very much done. Don't let that get you down, though. Instead, look at your list, figure out what you still have time to do and get it done! You can still feel proud of what you did accomplish instead of focusing on what you didn't get around to.

- Have a conversation (or two) about the future. Make sure that before you get back into the dayto- day life of a non-long distance relationship that you and your significant other are on the same page. Talk about your daily routines, what you want the other person to help you out with and what you want to do independently. It can be tough if you've been living on your own for a while to have someone (even if it is that special someone) barge back into your life. Good communication is the best way to avoid clashes in this department, and if you can align your expectations beforehand, that's even better.

- Take some time for yourself. Sure, you've been missing your honey the whole time you've been apart and it may not seem like it now, but once you're with each other all the time again, you are going to miss your alone time. Take one last special day for yourself and do all the things that you love to do alone; spend quality time with yourself.

I hope these tips will help the tail end of your long distance stint more manageable. Just remember, you're almost there!