While some Pitt students will have a candlelit dinner on Valentine\u2019s Day, others will be planning their dates virtually.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though hookup culture is prominent<\/a> on college campuses, some students are opting for more committed love through long-distance relationships. According to the National Library of Medicine, 34.2%<\/a> college students are actively in a long-distance relationship. Yet, with Valentine\u2019s Day approaching, long-distance relationships can prove difficult for some Pitt students who are choosing to celebrate virtually.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jonah Taylor, a licensed clinical social worker and couples and sex therapist at the Center for Mind and Relationship<\/a>, said the best way to spend time together for a virtual Valentine\u2019s Day is by being present and focused on your partner.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn an era of fractured attention spans<\/a>, there may be a strong urge to multitask while speaking by phone. Try to resist that urge by focusing your awareness on your partner for the limited time you have to \u2018be\u2019 with each other,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cIf just catching up by phone, practice mindfulness by really tuning in to the sound of their voice and the cadence of their speech.\u201d<\/p>\n Technology can provide a way for long-distance couples to engage in a virtual date night, according to Taylor.<\/p>\n \u201cConsider playing a game together, watching a movie or inviting in flirtation and sexuality \u2014 there are terrific couples-focused, long-distance friendly activities offered by Arya<\/a>, Esther Perel<\/a> and others, often freely provided on Instagram,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cFind ways to invite novelty, as long-distance communication can become monotonous over time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Anna Bigert, a sophomore natural science student on the pre-physician track, has been with her partner since her first year of high school.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis past November was our five-year anniversary,\u201d Bigert said. \u201cWe spent all of high school living 15 minutes from each other, but about a year and a half ago when we started college, we became long distance. He goes to Rutgers, so it\u2019s about a six-hour distance between us.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Bigert sometimes struggles with being in a long-distance relationship because of the lack of seeing her partner, she believes there are benefits to personal independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe just both do our best to put in effort and stay in touch with one another,\u201d Bigert said. \u201cAlthough it\u2019s really hard and I miss him, having a boyfriend that is long-distance pushes me out of my comfort zone to go out and meet other people. I think if we went to the same school, I would spend more time with him and I wouldn\u2019t have the strong friendships I do now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Bigert said for Valentine\u2019s Day, they\u2019ll be celebrating virtually.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe unfortunately won\u2019t see each other, but we are sending each other little gifts to open on FaceTime to celebrate,\u201d Bigert said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nora Broering, a sophomore bioengineering major, has been with her partner for six months \u2014 the entirety of which has been long distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s from Germany, so when we started, it was like 4,100 miles and a six-hour time difference,\u201d Broering said. \u201cBut he\u2019s doing a gap year right now, so he\u2019s traveling in the Australia area, and that\u2019s 9,800 miles and a 16-hour time difference away.\u201d<\/p>\n Broering said doing the distance has developed her relationship, despite how difficult it may be.<\/p>\n \u201cWe definitely have had to learn to communicate way more effectively than couples who see each other all the time, which I think makes our relationship stronger,\u201d Broering said. \u201cFor us, the difficulties are mostly just dealing with missing each other and making sure we aren\u2019t getting so stuck in our phones talking to each other that we aren\u2019t living our own lives while we\u2019re apart.\u201d<\/p>\n Bella Lapi, a junior public health student, said it takes a \u201cvery specific relationship and a very specific type of person\u201d to have a healthy long-distance relationship.\u00a0<\/p>\n