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Apr 3, 2024
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Assignment 4: Process Essay
How to Make a Long-Distance Relationship Work
Kayla Nilsson
Athabasca University
3500902
ENGL 155: Developing Writing Skills
Jo-Ann Foote
March 11
th
, 2024
2
Reflective Journal Entry
Thank you, Jo-Ann, for your feedback on my previous assignment. After I reviewed your
comments, I noted and appreciated the praise given for my effort. However, I agree with your suggestions and can identify the oversight in a few areas of my writing that require further development. In comparison to my last assignments completed in this course, I noticed my improvement regarding grammar, writing style, and developing clearer sentences. Thus, I strive to continue strengthening my skills by referencing the insightful sources you provided along with
the course materials. On that note, in my previous assignment, I struggled with correctly formatting the cited references alongside a lack of reference to the source within my essay. Therefore, I appreciate you providing an example to correctly format a cited reference, along with advising the importance of referring to the author’s name more to ensure the reader knows who the speaker is. Moreover, I agree that the organization of my assignments and proper use of punctuation still require further development to succeed in this course. Overall, I am delighted to
see my writing skills are improving as I work through each unit, and I am pleased that the journal
on each assignment has allowed me to reflect on that. Journal: 10/10 Aptly stated! ENGLISH 155
CONTENT: 27 /30
ORGANIZATION: 26/30
GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS: 24/30
STYLE: 8/10
GRADE: 85%
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Your essay follows a proper format, with relevant content provided. While your references are appropriate, you need to review methods of integrating quotations into the text to ensure the reader knows which material comes from your source and which parts are yours. Remember that quotations should be used to support your assertions rather than form too much of the content of a paragraph.
Work on developing varied, specific, concise, and interesting wording to strengthen your writing style and content; in particular, avoid the overuse and vague use of pronouns like it, that, and there. As well, avoid cliches and overused expressions, in formal writing.
Your conclusion aptly sums up the essay.
A very good effort but some areas need further study!
Jo-Ann
Note that I have used the comment function to insert my responses. If you cannot see my comments, you may need to turn that function on. Click on the “review” tab at the top of the
page and CLICK ON SHOW COMMENTS.
How to Make a Long-Distance Relationship Work
Do you find yourself living out the plot of a romantic comedy, complete with dramatic airport scenes and tearful goodbyes? If so, welcome to the world of long-distance relationships – where distance is a number and love knows no bounds. Despite the challenges, a long-distance
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relationship can thrive. However, three essential components that contribute to the success of a long-distance relationship involve mastering communication skills and sustaining intimacy, managing expectations to assist in fostering trust, and engaging in future planning. Furthermore, as we continue to delve deep into these components, it is essential to know that applying these traits and habits will inevitably support making a long-distance relationship work. Then, with dedication, patience, and a willingness to overcome challenges, not only will your relationship work but thrive, proving that love knows no boundaries.
Communication is the foundation of any successful relationship, but it even becomes more crucial when couples are separated by distance. In the absence of face-to-face interactions, consistent and transparent communication becomes the primary means of maintaining emotional intimacy and connection. First, to ensure effective and meaningful communication, it is essential to embrace vulnerability with open and honest dialogue, coupled with active listening (Tutor, 2023). Therefore, ensuring mutual openness in communication sets the groundwork for establishing boundaries, expressing emotions, and building trust within your relationship. Moreover, it is essential to maintain emotional intimacy by dedicating quality time to connect genuinely. Thankfully, in today’s interconnected world, planning online dates has become easier than ever. With streaming services, co-op games, and FaceTime readily available, couples can get creative and utilize these tools to their advantage. Overall, the combination of strong communication accompanied by maintaining intimacy sets the foundation for making long-
distance relationships work as it assists in bridging the physical gap between partners.
Trust is the cornerstone of any relationship; however, the physical distance between individuals can intensify feelings of jealousy, raise concerns about infidelity, and create the habit
of self-doubt. Thus, with the inability to be physically present with your partner, it is crucial to
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practice healthy habits including managing expectations and fostering trust. To start, it should be noted that allowing your relationship an outlet to speak on your expectations will help prevent any future disappointment by ensuring your needs are met and will contribute to building trust between you and your partner (Wooddell, 2023). Additionally, expectations should be practical and reasonable to discuss with your significant other, along with being open and considerate of the possibility of adapting or making changes. Ideally, open communication regarding expectations should be conversations that include topics of personal boundaries, consistency of communication with each other, and level of commitment. Furthermore, expectations are essentially the standard we hold for our partner, and believing those standards are being met is the foundation of trust (Adrian, 2019). However, establishing trust is a gradual process, and
requires consistency, reliability, honesty, and patience. Overall, managing expectations and fostering trust are crucial in long-distance relationships to ensure mutual understanding of needs and strengthen emotional bonds.
In long-distance relationships, future planning becomes the beacon of hope in the
darkness of uncertainty. Therefore, couples in long-distance relationships must ensure they have plans to look forward to, such as scheduling their next visit, a vacation together, or plans to close
the distance permanently. On that note, future planning can also apply to smaller situations such as planning a set night each week for a virtual date, which can include sending each other food, doing an activity, or watching a movie together. Otherwise, without future planning, it becomes increasingly challenging to maintain the same level of enthusiasm towards each other (Manson,
2023). In addition, there must be a shared goal between partners that provides excitement to work towards the future. For example, a city that you plan to move to together, financial goals for a future home, or even a future pet to adopt! In summary, long-distance couples should adopt
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the habit of future planning as it provides consistent goals that allow partners to maintain optimism about their relationship until closing the distance with each other.
In conclusion, despite the miles of challenges and obstacles, long-distance relationships can work. Therefore, adopting these strategies with your partner can ensure that your union is not
only maintained but can thrive and grow into a successful and fulfilling partnership until reunited
permanently. First, by upholding strong communication and maintaining intimacy, you create a connection with your partner that surpasses physical distance, nurturing emotional closeness and creating a deep sense of companionship. In addition, managing expectations and fostering trust allows a relationship to flourish by establishing a foundation of mutual understanding and respect. Lastly, maintaining mutual openness regarding future planning will mitigate uncertainties, motivate partners to collaborate on shared goals, and cultivate a sense of purpose and direction in your relationship. To conclude, by implementing these components alongside sustaining resilience, commitment, and optimism, couples can navigate and overcome the challenges of distance until the day they purchase that one-way ticket.
Works Cited
Tutor, F. (2023, February 11). The importance of communication in long-distance relationships
. Medium. https://medium.com/@forevertutor1/the-importance-of-communication-
in-long-distance-relationships-8f3813237c9f
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Wooddell, B. (2023, May 10). Managing expectations in long distance relationships: The
DOS and don’ts
. WFLA. https://www.wfla.com/bloom-tampa-bay/managing-expectations-in-
long-distance-relationships-the-dos-and donts/#:~:text=Communication%20is%20Key%3A
%20Communication%20is,each%20other%20to%20stay%20connected
.
Adrian, C. (2021, November 3). How to build trust in a long distance relationship
. Happily Committed. https://happilycommitted.com/trust-in-a-long-distance-relationship/
Manson, M. (2023, February 8). How to Survive a Long Distance Relationship
. Mark Manson. https://markmanson.net/long-distance-relationships