Most people say long distance relationships can work. They say these relationships can survive if both individuals in the relationship have time to devote to making it work. Time in high school, though, is a rare find, especially if you are a senior.

College is right around the corner, the pressure to find scholarships is high and spending time with your friends from school and in your city is a priority. Regardless of your grade, high school is a time of extreme change, finding yourself and stress. And we all know time is limited no matter how old we are, given the commitments most students have. The truth is long distance relationships don’t work out well in high school, even if the distance that is between you is only an hour drive.

I’ve found that relationships of any kind — whether it be a romantic one or a friendship — take work in order to grow into something worth having. A relationship is similar to growing a plant. You have to tend to it regularly and feed it in order for it to grow.

In the case of a relationship, you have to spend time together and see each other regularly for this to happen. If you don’t, you won’t get to know each other on a deeper level and the relationship can become difficult.

It’s nice to be able to call your significant other and say, “Hey let’s meet up to study,” or, “Wanna go grab some ice cream? I need a break from math.” If the other person in the relationship lives away from Omaha, the chances of that actually happening on a school night are little to none.

It is also a possibility that because of distance in a relationship you will be less likely to see each other on a regular basis. Seeing your significant other on weekends can make the relationship seem like it is not long distance, but it is the time in-between seeing each other that creates the long distance feel. Which leads me to my next point.

To have a solid relationship, your only form of communication can not be texting. Communication is key in any relationship. You have to talk in person to get to know each other. If you are in a long-distance relationship, this can be hard. You can sometimes find yourself relying on texting or snap-chatting to talk to each other.

This is not a good way for your relationship to grow and to get to know each other. In a relationship, you should be able to talk to your significant other about anything. It may become hard to talk about anything and everything in text. Texting can sometimes relay a different message than is intended.

Phone calls are great when you are in a long distance relationship, but they can get old. The most important thing that you can do to make your relationship strong is to spend time together and actually communicate. With long distance, you can not always do this.

Another thing to keep in mind when talking about a long distance relationship is jealousy and trust. As much as we would all like to say that we are not jealous when it comes to our significant other, long distance relationships ultimately are the worst relationships that jealous individuals can be in. When you are not with your significant other, especially if communication is limited, you may start to develop jealousy issues.

Jealousy can often lead to trust problems. When communication and time together is limited, the amount of trust you have in a person can start out strong, but can dwindle down as the relationship progresses. Not having trust in an individual can make a relationship extremely difficult.

Your conversations may shift towards being focused solely on the things you do not trust your significant other with, such as spending time with other girls or guys, or going out with friends. Not trusting your significant other can lead to extreme problems in your relationship, and can result in fighting.

As difficult as it can be to deal with jealousy and trust issues in a long distance relationship, something else that may make your relationship hard are doubts. The mindset that you have towards your relationship can evolve throughout its span of existence. You may go into your relationship believing that it is the best thing ever, that the relationship is genuinely good for you and that it is strong enough to last.

However, as you move forward with your relationship and the two of you start to see each other less and less and get more involved with your own lives, doubts may start to form about where your relationship is headed, and if it is really worth it to make it work. Having doubts within a relationship can stem from something as small as not getting to see each other frequently, or from larger issues such as jealously.

If you are in a long distance relationship now, or may be in one at some point in your high school career, know that they can be hard. Also understand there are many things that factor into whether your relationship will be a good one or not. But remember that everyone is different, and because of the differences that we all share, our relationships will be unique.

Despite the fact that long distance relationships are work, some can survive, and if you truly want to make the relationship you have with someone work, try and don’t give up. Some of the best relationships can come out of long distance. Others, unfortunately, are not meant to last.