How to Beat the Long Distance Blues

If you never had your best friend say those dreaded words "I'm moving" to you as a kid, then you probably had a great childhood. Odds are we have all had to deal with a long distance relationship of some kind growing up, be that a friend, relative, or a significant other. We all run the risk of being far away from somebody with whom we are otherwise very connected. With summer break, more and more college students, like myself, are finding themselves far away from the friends and significant others they love. Or, on the flip side of that, some people are finally being reunited with people they've been away from all school year.

So today I wanted to take the opportunity to impart to you five ways long distance doesn't have to be the worst thing that ever happened to you!

We all spend an unbelievable amount of time on the internet and our smart phones anyway, so why not utilize these modern day technological wonders to do something we really want to do, like have a game night with that person we're really missing? So here I present to you the top ten ways to beat the long distance blues. 

1. Skype/Face Time

I cannot stress this one enough! The beautiful thing about being near the person we love is having a face to face conversation with them. Short of being able to hug the person you're missing (although you can clutch your electronic really close and pretend if you really want to) Skype and Face Time have you covered. There are many other apps/websites that do the same thing. The magic of the internet is that it can put you face to face with the person you've been wanting to see most. Take advantage of it! Instead of just sitting and texting that one somebody you really miss, ask them if they have the opportunity to get on a device that allows you to see them and hear their voice. I personally prefer this method of communication even more then phone calls, because we as people communicate so much with our facial expressions that gets left out in other forms of electronic communication. Now that being said...

2. Snapchat!

I understand not everybody has a smartphone, and not everybody has apps like this available to them. If you do though, why not use it to send funny faces to that person you've been missing. One of my best friends lives in Indiana, and sending her messages with Snapchat is our number one way of communicating. If you don't have a smartphone, like my boyfriend who I'm pretty far away from in the summer, don't sweat it! Sending goofy picture messages can be just as fun. Just find an opportunity to send them a silly face or a pic of something cool and brighten up their day. Pictures are definitely worth a thousand words, and sharing what you're up to in pictures can make that person feel like they're with you. 

3. Game Night

You know all those annoying game invitations blowing up your inbox that you really wish people would stop sending you? Well for once take advantage of all the cool multiplayer games online and set up a game night with somebody! Have a Words with Friends battle, or hope for the best when you try to guess what on earth three blue lines are supposed to be on Draw Something. Setting aside an hour to sit down one night and play games with the person you're missing brings back all the fun of being near each other because you're getting to do something together. It's especially fun if the games come with chat features, because that adds all the fun of smack talk. A virtual game night can seriously be one of the most fun adventures you have together, so give it a try.

4. Write A Letter...

... or send a card! You know those goofy sections in the card aisle at the grocery store that say "Just For Fun", "Romance", or "Flirting"? Yeah, take advantage of those! Pick out that one card that you know will make the recipient smile, and send it their way. Seriously, when was the last time you got anything that cool in the mail? Two summers ago my boyfriend and I did this all the time. I think people seriously underestimate how much fun it is to open up your mailbox and see something in there for you. The best part about cards and letters is that they can't get accidentally deleted, put them up somewhere safe and look back at them when you're really missing that person.

5. Make Plans!

This one seems simple but it's so true, knowing when you get to see this person next really helps you get through the time when you're not seeing them. Even if this only happens a few times a year, or once every couple of years, having a set plan to meet up and hang out in person like you got to when you were close really really helps. My friend in Indiana and I always get to see each other around Easter time, so we always make jokes about wanting it to be Easter. It doesn't matter when it is, as long as you know in your heart this distance is only a temporary thing, you will seriously be just fine. 

When Opportunity Knocks

With school officially out, everybody is preparing for the summertime. I have to admit I'm definitely jealous of all my friends who have already started their internships (stay tuned for when I can officially announce the details behind what I mean by that). Opportunity has been knocking on my door a lot recently, and this blog is a little bit about how to be prepared when opportunity for new jobs comes knocking.

1. Dress For Success

One of the biggest things I have learned through job interviews and opportunities, is that regardless of how casual the interview situation seems, your appearance says a lot about you. Think seriously about how many times throughout the day, and I'm speaking to ladies especially, that you take note of another person's outfit. What you like about it, what you don't like about it, even wondering where you can get specific pieces. We as people get our first impressions off of what the person we are interacting with is wearing. A girl in a pencil skirt and heels I would almost immediately perceive as professional and successful, a girl in a flowing skirt I might perceive as a laid back and sunny personality.

When dressing for an interview think about what your clothes are saying about you, and try to dress appropriately. Your interviewer doesn't know about your wonderful secret cookie baking ability or your three years in high school where you had a bad hair cut. All the interviewer knows of you is what they can infer from the outfit in front of them. Make sure it is representing you properly.

There are tons of options for ideas, some blogs are dedicated entirely to this, and Pinterest is loaded with ideas. There are also apps for the iPhone and Android that will mix and match your outfits for you.

2. Be Prepared

Always, and I do mean always, have an up to date version of your resume handy. The last thing you want is to go to print a resume a half hour before the interview and discover there are tons of new skills and job experiences that you haven't listed. For one thing it's going to stress you out right before your interview and it is also going to do you no favors if you're scrambling to remember all the wonderful experiences you wanted to add to your resume.

Think of your resume as a one size fits all self advertisement. You get one page to pack with as much experience and self marketing as possible. My advice would be, when you know you're going to apply for a certain job, tweak your resume so that points of interest to that employer are front and center. For instance, my clerical work at my university isn't of extreme interest to an interviewer for a factory job, but my experiences lifting things and building them in a scene shop might be.

Note: NEVER  lie on your resume! Just because you moved something around to bring up more marketable points to that employer does not make it okay to lie on your resume. Do not make up experience, odds are you are going to get caught, and then it's not going to be pretty.

3. Arrive Early

There is an old saying from my marching band director that I'm sure he didn't originate, but he definitely is the one that made it resonate. It is put as follows-

"If you are early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are late. If you are late, don't bother."

Try to make this your personal goal when it comes to arriving for an interview. The general rule of thumb is no more than 15 minutes early, otherwise you'll seem too eager.

4. Relax, But Not Too Much 

You need to relax and realize that your interviewer is on your side. Something I have learned from theatre is that people who are trying to employ you want you to succeed, because they want to find somebody wonderful who is going to do the job right. There is no reason that somebody couldn't be you, so smile and remember to talk yourself up. They want you to do well.

However, a word to the wise would definitely be to not get too casual. Regardless of how your interviewer is behaving, you need to remain professional. You are the one who needs to impress the employer, not the other way around.

5. Know Your Stuff

Odds are if you have applied for this job, you are at the very least interested in the field. However, you need to know the company themselves. What are they about, what are their goals, what is their mission statement? Most of these can be found online and they can make you come off so much more prepared, and when it boils down to decision making that could be the key.

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A very famous saying that I am a huge fan of is....

SO next time opportunity comes knocking, be prepared! You never know where it will take you!

Note: Credit for image to lord of visions .com and google images.