How I cope with a partner in National Service

There was a time where you didn’t know him. At that point, you probably had a lot of free time in your hands and dedicated it to something. To keep your mind off of your busy partner, keep yourself just as busy as him.

Take this time to pick up from where you left off and continue what you used to do. Doing what you love is part of your personality, so use this chance to reignite your passion and creativity.

Time apart offers you the opportunity for growth and improvement. This is a perfect time to work on yourself!

Be it a ‘glow up’ or prioritising self-care, you should take this time to do something nice for yourself. With most of your time for yourself now, you should also check up on yourself in terms of mental health. If you’re in school, you could work on your grades. You could even get a part-time job to stay busy.

Having a partner means having to squeeze in another person into your schedule. As a result, you probably spent less time with your friends and family.

With him being away for the weekdays, you could spend your spare time with a girl’s day out just to catch up! Or you could also reconnect with friends you haven’t seen in a while and strengthen these bonds. Your family would also appreciate you being around more often.

When you do meet your partner over the weekends, quality time together is crucial. Weekly fancy dates are unnecessary. A simple meal or a hangout session at either one’s place could be much more meaningful.

Avoid being on your phones. Use this time to catch up with each other about your week and do what you both always do. You could also do little things to show you care.

Bad days between you and your partner cannot be avoided. Arguments about feeling distant and the thought of him losing interest would probably cross your mind.

Both parties have to be patient and understanding. Your boyfriend is going through a lot in camp, being away from friends and family in an unfamiliar place isn’t that easy. The last thing you would want to do is make him feel overwhelmed when he is still trying to adjust.

In this journey, it is especially important to let your partner know how you feel about certain things. Have a calm, mature conversation if you feel like he could do something better; it goes both ways actually. This NS relationship phase will feel long. All we can do is count the two years down to a rewarding and satisfying feeling when it’s over.