How do you know you love someone?

There will be a time in life you may have questions whether you truly love someone and whether he or she loves you. Couples need assurance when things seem to go wrong. They need to know they are loved and appreciated. How do you know you are loved? What are you doing to show love? How do you know that your fiancé really loves you?

Years ago you may have fallen in love with a girl or boy in high school. Back then adults may have accused you of not knowing anything about love. They may have been right. True love is comprised of so much more than the heavy petting and kissing that went on as a teenager. It’s unfortunate, but many adults are still using a night of good sex and nice favors as signs they are in love. When one is truly in love, you will see their behaviors change whether good or bad and people will take notice. Being sick with love is just that, the stomach and head will ache with some people. Others will experience a temporary feeling of wanting to be around their lover all the time. Other signs include: an overwhelming desire to please by spending large sums of money they may or may not have, showing their new love interest off to everyone they know, public affection, a willingness to participate in another’s interests, and talk of marriage and children.

To find greater insight on whether you love your significant other and whether they love you are as follows. These key points were created to help you quickly determine whether your relationship demonstrates true love.

Think of past actions you have done to show him or her that you love them. When you ponder on the past what is the first thing that comes to mind? Did you remember acknowledging he or she on holidays? Did you unexpectedly surprise him or her by cleaning up the house? These are the little ways that say you love them. However, the bigger ways of showing love can come from the times you were tempted to do something that could have hurt your spouse, such as having lunch with an old flame, conducting sexy internet chat, or visiting the strip club, but you chose to avoid the risks.

In the busy world that we live in, the need for some alone time also known as “me time” is a great way to show love. Your relationship may need it, but you will have to be sure by communicating this with your lover. Don’t ever take your own need or theirs to be alone for granted. During those quiet moments, both of you can renew your minds, receive clarity on burdening issues or simply rest. When you both have had some time to yourself, don’t forget to come together to make love. Some couples forget to come out of the “me time” and eventually fall out of love.

One of the best ways you may have already shown you love your special someone is to understand his or her reactions to tragedy, rejection, disappointments, and other negative circumstances. Have you ever heard a person give their spouse the highest praise? Do you know why they will brag about their mate being great, wonderful, and loyal? The reason for this is due to the times they witnessed their mate demonstrate the highest courage and/or support when he or she needed them the most. It’s unfortunate but so many relationships could have been successful if a spouse would have utilized an unfortunate circumstance to mend their husband or wife’s broken heart.

Show love by planning for the future. When you include your mate in a future plan such as visiting a foreign country, relocating to a new city, buying a house, or having a baby, you are sending a clear message that you love them and want them in your life long term. People who aren’t in love usually do not include their mates in their future plans.

Another way to see love manifest in your relationship is to respect one another’s dreams. A mate who stands by their lover’s dreams is willing to help accomplish them and make sacrifices, is definitely in love.

You may have met some people who have inspired you in the past. These people have helped shape you into the person you are today. You will also meet people in the future that can help you grow both personally and professionally. A mate who loves you will not isolate you from the people, places, and things that can benefit the both of you.

Watch for your mate’s responses. Now that you have reflected on the love you have shown, evaluated whether you have been considerate and understanding, and planned for the future, now it’s time to think of the love that your mate has shown you. Is the love equal to what you have given him or her in the past or does it lack? When problems in the past arose within your relationship, did he or she encourage you to overcome? When holidays came, were you acknowledged? Does he or she provide you with physical pleasure? One of the biggest concerns people who have cheated voiced about their spouses is that they don’t appreciate them. An unresponsive mate may love their spouse, but love has to be shown through action. Inaction will only cause unnecessary problems in the relationship.

Find solutions to problems when they arise. Being in love also stems from couples knowing how to correct concerns before they become huge problems. When one is still in love with his or her mate, they are willing to compromise on issues. For instance, if a husband is not spending time with his wife and she has voiced her concern, he will attempt to do something about it. When a wife is told by her husband to stop nagging him, she will try to do things differently.

Relationships can and will grow stale; however, as long as couples are willing to make some changes, the love for one another will continue to grow. If you are unsure whether or not your mate loves you, put him or her to the test by observing whether he or she is addressing concerns you have raised, if not, then you will know that your relationship is in serious trouble.

Love is not just about saying, “I love you.” Rather, when someone honestly loves you they have made you a part of their being. This means they carry your influence with them wherever they go, they enjoy your company, they speak positively about you, and they appreciate the things you do for them. You may have heard someone say I feel that something is wrong with my friend and the friend may be living thousands of miles away. When two people are close they know when something is bothering each other and will want to support one another. Just as we would defend ourselves if someone attempted to attack us mentally or physically, love will fight, encourage, support, and persevere despite our mate’s faults. That is why you will hear some people say, “Love is blind.” The purest definition of love can be found in the Christian Bible I Corinthians 14. Let that be your guide on what it means to sincerely love someone. 

Nicholl McGuire