Sex File: Her job is killing off our sex life 

Research has fortunately identified the best way for couples to sustain their sexual relationships when they are forced to live apart

Pic: iStock

My wife works away a lot, which actually works for us. We both enjoy our independence and find we bicker less, but it can be hard to reconnect in the windows when we're physically together. How can we make the most of it without putting too much pressure on ourselves?

Being separated has its downsides, but it does give couples the space to focus on the things that matter to them as individuals. You can work late, meet friends, go to the gym, and you don't need permission to eat peanut butter on toast in bed watching Happy Valley. You never really feel lonely because you can call or text at any time, and you also have the wonderful upside of your next reunion to look forward to. And that's where it often goes wrong. Big reunions can be terribly anticlimactic. When you are apart, you don't have to deal with the day-to-day reality of physical proximity, and when you are back together, anticipation can rapidly transform into awkwardness.