Love is a powerful word, one that invokes images of spring, sunshine, and angels. But love is more than this. It is the feeling of connection between two people, or between two places, or between a series of events and occurrences. Love is a synonym for friendship, although friends usually care about each other as much as lovers do. However, the word love is often used in connection with enduring romantic relationships, such as marriages and relationships.
One of the greatest benefits of romantic love is intimacy. Intimacy is the sense of being emotionally connected and intimate with another person. This sense of emotional connection can be difficult for some to discover, since it occurs only after a long period of dating and courtship. However, intimacy is among the most rewarding and healing feelings that a person can experience. To feel love, or to have an intimate relationship, involves feelings such as gratitude, respect, trust, and adoration, which are the cornerstones of any meaningful relationship.
Romantic love involves various kinds of emotional and physical feelings: these may include sexual desire, craving, enjoyment, excitement, involvement, attachment, commitment, and devotion. In order to feel all of these types of feelings in a relationship, intimacy requires being actively involved with another person. There must also be a willingness to share physical space with another person and a willingness to let go of extraneous matters that may distract one from connecting with that other person. There must also be an ability to give and receive affection, which often involves a level of generosity that allows the relationship to grow into something more than just physical attraction.
The love language of each person is different, though they are bound together by a commonality of experiences and emotions. In general, however, one’s love language involves one or more of the following expressions: sharing, intimacy, commitment, trust, safety, and freedom. In order to grow into a healthy relationship where intimacy and commitment are more central, it can be helpful to become more aware of how your body responds to touch. Touch is a powerful form of expression, and one’s interpretation of that experience can provide clues about one’s own feelings and motivations for engaging in relationships. Here are some ways to think about love when you are in a relationship:
Love means different things to everyone. One person’s love might include feelings of gratitude, respect, safety, and freedom, while others might want to spend every moment possible with their partner. What does love mean to you? How do you define it? Are there behaviors you can practice to improve your feelings for another person?
The above descriptions of love styles reflect the way that they vary from person to person. While some people often engage in very similar patterns, their explanations for why they feel affection for another person may differ, and even their definitions of this love style can vary from relationship to relationship. Learning more about your own love style can help you better understand the feelings and motivations you have for sharing your intimacy with another person.
