How to Move In With Your LDR Partner for the First Time
The decision to move in together isn’t an easy one, and it can be especially challenging if you’re in a long-distance relationship.
When you go from only being able to talk through text messages and calls to spending nearly every hour of every day in the same space, things can get overwhelming. You also have to consider a lot of factors before you can make a commitment like that.
To help you figure out how to move in with your LDR partner and start your new life together, below are some tips and best practices that you can take note of:
What Does LDR Mean and Does It Work?
LDR, or long-distance relationship, refers to a romantic relationship between two people who live too far away from each other that it’s difficult to regularly meet in person.
Some are separated by a few cities, while others are staying in different countries on opposite sides of the world. Often, an LDR isn’t just about the physical distance but also differences in time, lifestyle, and even culture and language.
As a result, it’s harder to maintain a solid bond and make a relationship last long enough to reach important milestones like meeting friends and family or moving to be with your long-distance partner.
But despite all the inherent challenges, a lot of couples are able to successfully maintain a happy and loving LDR. They establish good communication, discuss goals and expectations, and manage to get to know each other even deeper.
After enough time, and once they reach a certain point in their lives, many couples end up deciding to stay in the same country or town to be near each other and give traditional dating a try.
Sometimes, a couple can also choose to move into one home as soon as they can.
From Long-Distance Dating to Living Together
One of the things to do in a long-distance relationship is discuss your expectations and be on the same page when it comes to your goals.
This can help a lot when you finally want to learn how to move in with your LDR partner and settle down. It also gives you an idea about the future of your relationship and what you need to achieve both individually and together before you can reach that point in your lives.
In general, the following are some of the important questions that you need to ask yourselves:
Is it time and are you ready?
How long does it take to know your boyfriend or girlfriend?
This is something you need to think about to determine whether or not you’re truly ready to move in with your partner.
Not all relationships move at the same pace or have the same requirements before the couple decides to start living together, but it’s nevertheless vital to have a timeline or checklist to serve as your guide.
Is your trust and bond strong enough for cohabitation? Can you afford to have your own place together? Are you prepared to share your space with someone else?
These are just some of the questions that you need to ponder before you can say for sure that you’re all set.
Who should move in a long-distance relationship?
Another aspect of figuring out how to move in with your LDR partner is identifying which one of you is doing the moving.
Most of the time, a couple in a long-distance relationship finally living together means one has to move and uproot their life to go where the other is. This comes with a lot of factors to take into account, including career, family, and lifestyle changes.
It has to be a mutual decision, and both partners must benefit and be willing to compromise for the sake of their future.
In the case of the couple moving to a third location, there still has to be a discussion about where and who will need to make the most adjustment.
What kind of changes should you prepare for?
While it’s impossible to anticipate everything that comes with the decision to move in together, it’s still better to do your research and be as prepared as you can be.
Outline the changes you’ll be going through, not just in your own life but also in your relationship. Make plans for any risks and difficulties that you can expect so it will be easier for you when the time comes.
Having a good idea of what will happen can also help you and your partner decide if you really are ready for this next stage in your relationship. How you two communicate and make plans can also show you if you’re compatible for other serious commitments.
How can you maintain personal space?
If you’ve been living alone all throughout your LDR, or if you’ve never cohabitated with another person in your adult life before, then living together with your partner can take a lot of getting used to.
It means having to compromise on things like privacy and personal space. You’ll need to communicate your boundaries and outline which aspects you can and cannot give up.
Having to share your bed or bathroom is one thing, but needing to be accountable for your comings and goings is entirely another. There will also be times when you want to be alone, so arranging that with your partner when you’re finally under the same roof is something that you need to prepare for.
What to Expect When Moving in After a Long-Distance Relationship
Figuring out how to move in with your LDR partner will bring a lot of changes to your life and relationship.
Unlike with most couples who start living together after a long time of traditional dating, going from an LDR straight to cohabitation can bring about a lot of abrupt and unforeseen shifts, both positive and negative.
You’ll have to adjust the way you communicate and spend time together.
You’ll need to catch up on all the other aspects of dating that you never got to experience when you were apart, this time in close quarters.
You’ll be put in a position where you get to learn a lot of things about your partner in a short amount of time. Depending on how you both handle it, that can make or break your relationship.
So to give your LDR the best possible transition phase, make sure to be prepared and be on the same page with your partner every step of the way.
