Editor's Note: This is the first column by our new male Sex & Dating columnist, Mike Brown the REMIX. He and Allison, our other Sex & Dating columnist, will provide he said/she said perspectives on various relationship topics. Earlier this month, Allison wrote a very personal column about the difficulty of her break-up with her long-distance boyfriend. Now Mike writes about this topic from his point of view.

English poet Thomas Haynes Bayley is famously quoted for saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder".

He must have been dating his neighbor.

Yes, we could all use a little space to grow in a romantic relationship. And yes, you might want space so you're not overcrowding each other. But regardless of how “fond the heart can grow”, distance-created absence plays a major role in breaking the strongest of bonds and ending the relationships of happy couples.

I'm a firm believer that communication is the utmost important factor in a maintaining a healthy relationship. (If you can't communicate, you'll never understand each other). Think of the couple as walkie-talkies -- they work great when one is in the next room. But move farther away, and you'll hear static. Move even farther away, and you eventually lose touch completely.

But, never fear, friends -- there's hope! Be your own hero: Save the communication, save the long-distance relationship.

Here are a few tips when dealing with a distant lover:

1. Compensate with Communication

If you've ever been in a long-distance relationship, you know how it starts: You both try to overcome the hundreds of miles with hours of conversation. Random "I miss you" texts, emails, Facebook and MySpace messages...anything easy enough to send, but thoughtful enough to make him smile.

But, what happens when those messages stop coming in?

It begins to set in: you can't physically be with him. Then, you can't speak to him often because he has a busy schedule. Furthermore, you don't even know his schedule. The communication is gone, and here comes your wildly vivid imagination.

2. Do Something.

Ever wonder what he's doing? Don't. Stop. Read a book, go on a girls night out, solve for the last digit in Pi… whatever it takes to keep your mind off of wandering. I have a couple of lady friends who end up in long-distance relationships after centering their lives on their mate. Without their boyfriend, life is like playing an endless game show of “What is he doing?”

3. Don't Believe the Hype.

The more doubtful contestants opt for “Who is he doing?” This (with a few nay-sayer lady friends) can do serious damage to the foundation of trust. If there is no substantial evidence (and circumstantial speculation), don't think about what -- or who -- he could be doing. Always remember, accuse an innocent man of cheating and there's no turning back.*

4. Keep him at arms reach, not under your arm.

I, Mike Brown, hate to be smothered. Replace my name with your boyfriend's and re-read. More importantly, remember.

Regardless of how many miles between you, which different time zones you live in, or inevitable cancelled trips when something comes up, it's always comforting to know that someone somewhere cares about you as much as you care about them. Even if they're So Far Away. Word.