Let's take a moment to acknowledge a simple fact: all couples have rough patches. Whether you're the lucky few who have just the rare spat or you have a bigger, more serious problem to deal with, no relationship can escape the bumps in the road.

I think that people who have never had to experience a long distance relationship can easily underestimate the value of face-to-face interaction when working out a problem in relationships. There are ways to survive a long distance argument, though, and here are my tips to help you through:

- Take a step back. If you're upset about something that your significant other said or did and your emotions are running high, take a few moments to calm down and make sure you're not overreacting. Trust me, I know from experience: blurting out the first thing you think when you're upset on the phone does not lead to a good time. It may take a few minutes — or even a few hours — to gain perspective on the situation, but the wait will be worth it when you can walk into the conversation cool, collected and ready to deal with the problem with as little fuss as possible.

- But not for too long! Leaving the problem unattended to, and your partner in the freeze-out zone, for too long will do more harm than good. Also make sure that they know you need some time to think; asking for space is the mature thing to do, while simply ignoring your partner is far from it.

- If it can wait until you're together, then let it. If you have an urgent problem, like if your significant other didn't pay a bill, then it needs to be dealt with in a timely manner, but if your problem is more on the “I'm thinking about this part of our future and I'm concerned” side of things, try to wait. I cannot stress the importance of face-to-face communication whenever possible. Being able to see your partner's facial expressions and sense their mood will do wonders for having a productive conversation. If it's not possible to wait — maybe you won't see them for months — then make sure they are aware of the importance of the conversation before they blindly walk into a minefield.

- Choose your method of communication wisely. If your significant other did something that seriously upset you, say killing your goldfish accidentally or losing something that was important to you, texting about it is not a good idea, nor is writing a snail mail letter that they won't see for weeks. I would say a good rule of thumb is most problems shouldn't be dealt with through text messages unless it is your very last option. At least try to talk about things over the phone where you can hear each other's voices; text messages are all too easily misinterpreted.

I hope these tips will help you get through your next bump in the road with your paramour, though I hope even more than you have as few bumps as possible!