Maybe you've been dating someone for a while, and you know you have serious feelings for this person. If you can identify the deep feelings you have for this person, you might wonder if what you're really feeling is love.
Figuring out if you love someone can be tricky, but if you deeply care for them, the chances you love them are pretty high. Continue reading below to learn how to identify if you love someone.
Questions to Ask Yourself When Determining If You Love Someone
How long have you been with this person?
Time isn't always an indicator of if you should love someone or not. Everyone has different timing and can feel things differently. However, sometimes time can indicate if you should be ready to start feeling deeper feelings for someone. Don't let this limit you, but consider it when determining if you love someone. Perhaps you have been with someone for a short period of time, but you've known them for years.
In this case, you may have been progressively falling in love with them, so you start feeling love for them early on in the relationship. Perhaps you've recently met this person, and you haven't been dating for so long, in which case it would be understandable if you have yet to develop stronger feelings for them.
Is it love or lust?
This is another important question you should ask yourself to save you both trouble and avoid hurt feelings. Love is when you feel strong affection for someone, and lust, on the other hand, is only a desire for someone. If you confuse lust for love and the other person really is in love, you've put yourself in a tricky situation.
Try to make sure you can differentiate which one you're feeling and that you are both on the same page. It is okay only to feel lust, but be clear about your feelings.
What if they don't love you back?
Of course, don't go into anything with a negative mindset, but be prepared for what to do if it turns out they don't love you back. Hopefully, this isn't the case, but if it is, you should have a game plan in your head so you know how to navigate the emotions that might come up.
Perhaps you have worked up the courage to tell them you love them, and they don't say it back, or they tell you they don't love you. It might hurt initially, but by knowing what to do in this situation, you will be able to move on with more ease.
13 Indicators You Love Someone
1. You can't stop thinking about them.
There are some people we simply can't get out of our minds. We think about that person all day, every day. Even the littlest thing could remind you of them. This is a common occurrence when you love someone. You'll find yourself constantly thinking about them, and you're happy they're always popping into your mind. Little, everyday things remind you of this person, no matter how simple they may be.
2. You want to get their attention.
If what you crave most is this person's attention, and you're putting effort into obtaining it, you probably love them. Receiving attention from the person you love can be very emotionally fulfilling.
3. You're checking their social media activity.
If you go out of your way to see what they're up to on social media, you can easily identify that you care about their virtual whereabouts. You want to know what's going on in their life, and checking their social media is a great way to find out. This is especially an indicator that you love them if you don't really care about what other people share on their social media, except for this person.
4. You want to take care of them.
When you see them feeling down, emotionally or physically, you get the urge to care for them to the best of your abilities, so they can feel better. People don't do this with just anybody. They do it with the people they love the most. The thought of doing something kind for them is suddenly what feels best to do.
5. You want to be affectionate.
Especially if you're not usually a very mushy person, wanting to show affection to this person could be a strong sign you actually love them. You suddenly want to express your feelings by hugging them, maybe holding their hand when you're walking together, or sharing passionate kisses. Most people have difficulty being affectionate with just anyone, which is why this is a great indicator to look out for.
6. You have a physical craving for them.
You crave their physical touch and feel happy when you are in physical contact with them. This could be as innocent as having their arm around you or as heated as more physical touch. Physical touch is one of the five love languages, and if you're craving this from a loving place, you are definitely in love with that person.
7. You think about a future with them.
If you're thinking about long-term goals or planning ahead with them, you probably love this person. You want them to stay in your life, and you envision yourself with them for a long time.
8. You feel good when you're around them.
Being around them fills you with joy. You feel like the best version of yourself when you're in their presence, and being without them doesn't feel as great. If you feel any of these things, you should feel confident knowing you love them.
9. Being with them feels easy.
Being with someone shouldn't feel challenging, difficult, or complicated. It should flow and feel easy. There shouldn't be constant obstacles, and love should flourish naturally. There are no problems or fights, you both just get along very well. If you feel this way with that special person, you are in love with them.
10. You want to introduce them to your friends.
If you really care about and love them, you'll want to introduce them to the people who mean the most to you. You'll think the idea of them meeting your friends is fun and exciting, and you can't wait to watch them become closer with your friends as time goes on.
Incorporating them into activities with them will sound like a great time. You'll also feel more reassured about pursuing something with them if your friends approve of who they are as a person and enjoy their company.
11. You prioritize them.
Prioritizing them is a solid indicator that you love them because you typically don't prioritize just anyone. If you're putting them before other aspects of your life, that is a way you could be showing love for them. You have to care deeply for someone and love them very much to feel they deserve to be a priority.
12. Other people notice your feelings towards them.
If how you feel about them is obvious to those around you, you are likely in love with this person. Your feelings are noticeable, meaning they are strong feelings, and you either don't want to keep them hidden, or they're so present that everyone notices them. Whichever it is, you obviously love this person.
13. You feel like you want to tell them you love them.
If the thought of telling them you love them is on your mind, you love them. Asking yourself and wondering if you really have those feelings for that person means the thought has been crossing your mind, and if that is the case, you more than likely love them.
Figuring out those feelings can be challenging, but it's really not as complicated as it may seem. It might feel scary to take the step to tell them, but it is very probable that they love you too, and you can start sharing feelings with each other.
When Is the Right Time to Tell Someone You Love Them?
Now that you know how to decipher if you love someone, you need to figure out when the right time to tell them would be. It's best to do it in a more private scenario for two reasons.
- The first reason to tell them in private. It will feel more personal and more special. Telling someone you love someone is important, those are deep feelings you are sharing, and you might feel vulnerable while saying it as well.
- The second reason to tell them in private. It is in case of rejection. Depending on how you are rejected, you might feel embarrassed by it, so being rejected privately will feel better than publicly.
Concluding
Sorting your feelings and deciding if you love someone can be a big deal and is an important feeling to understand. Don't rush when telling someone you love them, do it when the timing feels right for you. If it turns out to be faster than others have experienced, that's okay. If you take longer than what people deem normal, that's alright too.
Use the list of indicators you love someone to help you figure out your feelings more easily, and then tell them you love them in a sweet and caring way.
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