Need some advice on my situation please

[LadyDaemon]

It is not a contest of pain. We all share it.

This. This is not a test of wills or superiority. Whether you're an hour away or whole entire countries away,the pain is still the same at the end of the day. We should all pull together and support each other,not try to step on one another in a contest of who has it harder. That said,moving along...

I agree with what others have said. You can also if you have skype and have virtual dates or movie nights on those weekends or times when you can't get to each other. I know you're only an hour away,but every little bit helps right? You can also do little things (if funds are available) like sending her flowers with a note letting her know you're thinking of her if she likes flowers. I don't know if this would necesarily help or not,but you can also go to the 'Things To Do In A LDR' thread and find some ideas. I know I couldn't advise much,but hopefully something I said helps. Good luck!

[digitalfever]

Can I be the first to say that the whole invalidating of other people's pain because yours is far greater is getting old. I don't care if someone is an hour away or 4,000. Being away from the one you love IS hard and therefore the OP or any other member on LFAD has a valid reason to be upset and need support. Keep your Hamlet style "woe is me, look at my life" out of it.

OP, I think you need to weigh your options and discuss with your girlfriend how you feel. There isn't much more that you can do.

[lademoiselle]

Good advice has been given by others so all I want to add is that I think time can indeed make a difference. I remember when my SO and I were around the six month mark of being together; I spent my days online, hoping he'd show up soon, and my nights with my face pressed into my pillow, making it too damp to lie on! I'll have been with him for three years in August though and it's been many months now since I felt that bad. We've fallen into a sustainable routine of studying, working and building for the future, and in the evenings we have an hour or so to talk about our day. Extra income means we can see each other a bit more often then we used to (about every 6 weeks), and while we have no concrete plans to close the distance for at least the next 2-3 years, I have no real reason to feel hopeless anymore.

Also, when I first joined the forum and saw how much greater the distance between some couples was I did feel like a bit of a fraud - not because anyone made me feel that way but I couldn't help my guilt. The thing is, if you're accustomed to seeing your partner every day, an hour's drive will feel like a significant change... and for the one who must drive an hour, a five-hour flight would have the same affect and so on. We tend to miss what we're used to, that's all