Handling Conflicts in a Long Distance Relationship

Someone has asserted that all healthy couples fight, and although this assertion is subject to some argument (it not being something everyone would agree with), there is no doubt that conflicts are bound to rear up in most human relationships. Indeed, there is a school of thought among relationship experts which holds that what matters is not whether or not you have conflicts as a couple – but rather how well you handle those conflicts.
Now when a couple has been in a long distance love relationship for a considerable period of time (to an extend where they are used to running their relationship on a long distance basis) conflicts on various facets of the relationship can arise from time to time – just like in any other love relationship. If the sentiment of the school of thought of relationship experts that argues that what matters is not whether you have conflicts in your relationship (you are bound to have them sometimes anyway) but how you handle the conflicts is true, then we should shift our focus to conflict resolution in long distance relationships.
Now the separation aspect in a long distance relationship adds another layer of complexity in conflict resolution. As it were, successful conflict resolution- in any relationship rests on effective communication- and in a long distance relationship, one important element of effective communication called body language is removed. Of course you might consider making up for it with technology –webcams, video conferencing and that sort of thing – but they never quite replace the body language you could express in person.
But in spite of being stripped of the body language component, proper communication still remains the key to effective conflict resolution, though you do need to work even harder at it (at ensuring that you are communicating properly) to amicably resolve the conflicts that arise in long distance relationships.