What Should I Do if I'm Grounded & Miss My Boyfriend?

Being grounded can involve plenty of frustrations, including missing your boyfriend. One of the keys to healthy relationships is dealing with disappointments and time apart, according to the "Psychology Today" article "Secrets to a Strong, Successful Relationship" by Ann Smith, executive director of the group therapy program Breakthrough at Caron. Being grounded may mean time away from your boyfriend, and even though that can be hard, there are ways to deal.

A good way to deal with the loneliness of missing your boyfriend is to find creative ways to express your feelings. The page "How to Deal With Loneliness" on University of Florida Counseling and Wellness Center's website points out that expressing feelings is one of the first steps in being able to deal with them. Write a letter or poem, draw, paint, create a collage. Take those thoughts and feelings and turn them into something interesting and meaningful to you.

You can use this time away from your boyfriend to think about your relationship. Think about the strengths you have as a couple and as individuals. Think about what is working well in your relationship. Take this time to reflect on all the positive experiences, memories and aspects of your relationship. If you have some concerns, now would be a good time to think them through, or maybe even write them down.

Now is a good time to rebuild some trust and respect with your family. It may not make you miss your boyfriend any less, but it will give you something productive to do with your time and energy and can show a sense of maturity, perhaps helping prevent future groundings and thereby future separation from your boyfriend. Whatever your household duties already consist of, take it up a notch or two. If you can't think of anything on your own, ask someone in your family what you can do to help out.

While you are not able to spend time with your boyfriend right now, you are still able to spend time with yourself. Think about something you used to enjoy doing in your free time that you haven't done since you became part of a couple. Even if you can't do the activity yet due to being grounded, start planning a time to do something just for you. Staying true to yourself is an important part of a healthy relationship.