Whether your loved one is away at college, on a military or corporate assignment, or traveling, the distance can be tough. Even on exciting adventures, it’s hard to be away from the place you call home. Naturally, we recommend having Chocolate Shipped gourmet cookies delivered to their front doorstep, but we thought we’d share a few other ways to say “I love you” from a distance. Read on to get crowdsourced ideas from our panel of professionals.
Linda Mueller
Linda Mueller, Certified Life Coach & Founder of The Expat Partner Coach LLC.
Few things that have made me feel loved
For 30+ years I have spent time away from home as a student, professional, and expat partner. While I treasure the experiences I’ve had and lessons I’ve learned while away, it can also be quite lonely. Here are a few things that have made me feel loved by those at home:
Connect
Make it a point to reach out to the person away from home regardless of what you hear in return or how busy you may think they are. Emails, FaceTime, and phone chats will all help a person away from home feel loved. Ask the person specific questions about their experience, and show genuine interest in the response. Give the person space to share their adventures as well as concerns. Tell the person about specific times that you have thought of and missed them.
Include
With modern technology, those who are away from home can still be included in events back home. Zoom, FaceTime, and the like enable those away from home to have a place at the table during celebrations and join in special events. If a meal is included, you can even share the menu in advance so that the person away from home can enjoy the same food and really feel part of the gathering.
Sending something small from home, even if it is just a handwritten letter, will make the person away feel missed and valued. Anything from a local food item to a trinket from a favorite shop with a note saying ‘I was thinking of you’ will brighten the person’s day.
Plan
Make plans to visit the person who is away or for when they return home. This will give both of you something to look forward to and strengthen your bond. Hope builds happiness.
Here are 4 ideas
Being away from home can make someone lonely. Sometimes, all you can do is wish that you could be physically together with your family and loved ones because the situation doesn’t allow it, either because of work, studies, and more recently, the pandemic. In these times of separation, is there something you can do to make someone away from home feel loved?
- Ask how their day went. This is a small but effective way to make them feel loved. Always check on them and ask if they had a great day. They will surely appreciate your effort in catching up with them.
- Have their favorite meal delivered. Surprise them by ordering their favorite food and having it delivered to their doorstep. If your house is not too far away from theirs, you can deliver a home-cooked meal yourself instead. This is a simple and thoughtful way to remind them how much you care from a distance.
- Create a playlist. This one requires your time and effort, but it is definitely worth it as it shows how much you cherish them. Create a song playlist entitled “Songs that remind me of you.” This is sweet, inexpensive, and most of all, a great way to express love even when you are not together.
- Say it. Actually, express your love through words. Call them and say that you love them. This is not limited to “I love you” because there are a lot of things to say to express your love. These will definitely make them feel loved even when there is a distance between you.
It is hard to be away from the people you love the most, but when you truly love someone, the distance will never be a hindrance to make them feel your love.
Robin Sutherns
Robin Sutherns, relationship expert and editor at Galtelligence.
Alex Thompson
Alex Thompson, Founder and director of Festoon House.
Here are my tips
I have personally experienced living alone and away from family last year, and being far from home can definitely get sad and lonely. So, for those in a similar situation, here are my tips to make anyone feel loved, even when they’re far away:
Send video messages
Short video messages can really light someone’s [day] up. Just ask them about their day, tell them how you’re doing, and maybe crack a little joke to make them laugh. Video has been a crucial part of communication and entertainment as well, especially during the quarantine. If you can’t find time to video chat, sending short video messages will do the trick.
Send a comfort item
If your loved one has something special left at home, you can send it over to make them feel happier and more comfortable. Maybe it’s a childhood toy, a family photo, a book, a family recipe, or anything that will remind them of home.
Play a game together
Tools such as Houseparty can let you play classic games such as Heads Up and Pictionary, so it’s a great way to bond with someone who’s far from home. If you or your loved one likes to play games to pass the time, this is a good strategy to keep things nice and [light].
Some things that you can do
Having a family or friend away from you can bring so many challenges to your relationship, but nowadays, there are a lot of ways that you can send them your love and care. As a relationship expert, I can generally agree with the saying “It’s the thought that counts” because no matter where we are and how busy we can get, it’s the simple gesture of showing your loved ones that you remember them that can melt their hearts. Here are some things that you can do to make them feel loved despite the distance:
Phone or Video calls
Calling them every day, or even every other day, can lessen the loneliness that you both feel and can make them feel that they are still home. Hearing your voice and seeing you virtually can make days brighter, and they will be more inspired to keep on going with their chosen lives.
Delivery surprise
You can also make surprise deliveries at their address, especially on special occasions, so they know that you remember them—even if they are far away. This gesture can surely make them smile and feel loved.
Michelle Devani
Michelle Devani, the Founder of lovedevani.
Charles Vallena
Charles Vallena, Editor-in-Chief at TheGuitarJunky.com
Send Loving Thoughts Everyday
This pandemic has caused us to mostly stay indoors and be away from our family. It’s a tough situation and making someone feel loved has been more important than ever. This is especially true for my wife, who needs to be away from us while [serving as a frontline worker] for a private hospital.
It’s a tough situation, and I can’t stress enough how sending loving thoughts to her is really important so she feels that she’s loved. I always ask her how she’s doing, how’s her work, or if she has eaten her breakfast already. These are simple, yet very powerful gestures you can also use to make someone away from home feel that they are cared for and loved.
Hand-written notes
Hand-written notes are a personalized, thoughtful way to tell loved ones how much they mean to you from afar. In our digitized age, it’s easy to stay in contact through text messages and FaceTime, but something is comforting about receiving a physical letter in the mail. The element of surprise will remind your loved ones that you think of them often when they’re away from you, and your handwriting will offer a tangible piece of home they can keep with them wherever they roam.
Ashwinn Krishnaswamy
Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, Co-Founder of Oklahoma Smokes.
Lorie Anderson
Lorie Anderson, Founder of MomInformed.com
Send them a gift
One of the best ways to make someone who is away from home feel loved is to send them a gift. This can be a comforting beverage like hot chocolate, tea, or coffee, or ordering some food from their favorite restaurant via DoorDash, Uber Eats, or a similar service.
The easiest way to make them feel loved is to reach out to them. Surprise them by calling on the phone or sending a “miss you” or “get well soon” e-card. Most people feel better knowing that they are on people’s minds.
Showing an interest in the person and communicating with them often is a simple way to reduce someone’s anxiety, loneliness, or boredom when they are away from home.
Constantly find ways to be there
The best way to cut all that distance between you and a loved one that’s far away is to constantly find ways to be there, even if it doesn’t mean physically. Here are some simple yet meaningful ways you can do that:
- Schedule time to reach out! Keep each other updated. It’s a great way to make them feel involved even when they’re far away.
- Surprise them with meaningful gifts. Even if it’s simple, they’ll surely appreciate the effort.
- Tag them on social! If a picture or video made you smile or laugh, tag them. It’s a great way to let them know that you thought about them.
- There are apps that you can download where you can watch movies with someone on your phone or laptop even if they’re far away. It can be a great bonding activity to look forward to.
- Write them a letter. In this digital age, receiving a heartfelt handwritten letter can feel very special.
- Plan your next get together. Being away from loved ones is hard, so send them words of encouragement and let them know that you’re counting the days until you get to see each other again.
John Stevenson
John Stevenson, Marketing Specialist for My Gre Exam Preparation.
This is a crowdsourced article. Contributors are not necessarily affiliated with this website and their statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this website, other people, businesses, or other contributors.