Are you wondering “What does love feel like?”
From romantic love to self-love, everyone wants to feel loved and be loved by someone else. While love can mean different things to different people, it requires attachment and commitment.
Love is one of the highest vibrational feelings you can experience in your life. This blog post will discuss what real love feels like, what it feels like when you are in love with someone, as well as the difference between being attracted to someone and being in love with them, especially in long-term, romantic relationships!
Let’s get reading!
*Disclaimer: I am human. I write from the heart and from experience: not to suit any algorithm or perfectly curated feed. I have chosen to continue to write a blog in the days of Reddit and Substack because it means that I OWN my articles and ability to finance my writing. I am in the process of removing all affiliate links from my site and minimizing ads so that you may focus on the article itself. Enjoy!
Deconstructing Limiting Beliefs About Romantic Love
Before we go any further, let us acknowledge that we’re all only human beings, and we’re limited by what we have been taught by our parents and society. Even the most well-intentioned fairy tales can give us a toxic picture of loving relationships. Unfortunately in real life, if it’s not healthy love, it can lead to a broken heart.
But if you are willing to look at these telltale signs and follow through all the different stages, there’s a good chance you’ll find that type of love you’re dreaming of!
(I detailed the journey of finding my soulmate here, if you want to read it in full.)
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Different Stages of Love: How do you know if it’s love or attraction?
While love is a deep, tender feeling of affection and care for another person, attraction is more physical. Both can be very intense, strong feelings, but especially in the early stages of romantic love, you may experience a greater sexual desire.
According to Harvard Medical School, chemicals in our bodies like dopamine get our reward system going, accounting for feeling “love struck.”
At the start of a relationship, you’re riding high on all those love chemicals! They call this the honeymoon phase because of heightened interest in each other, and even infatuation with the other. Sex drive is at a high as well.
But if you want your committed relationship to last, then you need to be able to weather the storm through all the other phases of love.
Does love at first sight exist?
Most of the time, what we think of as love at first sight is really just sexual attraction. But true love at first sight does exist, it’s just a lot more rare, and it usually is accompanied by a deep spiritual connection that feels immediately deeper than just physical attraction.
22 Signs You’re In Love: What Does Love Feel Like?
Love may give you a feeling of weightlessness or it may make you feel grounded. You will likely feel safe, warm, and a deep level of trust for the other person. You may experience feelings of flow, acceptance, wonder, and bursts of creativity. When you’re in love, you want to be a better person.
This list begins with early signs of what true love looks like, and the farther down on the list, the more years of experience you have at being in love!
Whether this is your first time being in love or you’re a veteran, here are 25 clear signs that you’ve moved beyond the attraction phase and it’s the real deal: true love!
1) You find yourself planning a future with that person.
When you’re in a new relationship and first falling in love, you might start thinking about what a future will look like. When you plan a future with someone, what that future holds is up to the two of you.
It may mean you’re thinking of marriage, kids, growing old together, or even just spending time in the near future traveling or being together. Whatever your relationship holds, it is a sure sign of love when you feel things moving forward.
2) You want to meet their friends and family.
If you find yourself wanting to meet their friends and family members, it might be real love! For new love, this is a clear sign of intense feeling for one another. You seek to be an integral part to their larger world, and what better way than by knowing who they know and making friends with their friends and becoming a part of their larger family?
3) You’re curious to know them on a deeper level.
A great sign of emotional connection is a desire to know your romantic love on a deeper level. Curiosity is a natural, wonderful instinct. When you think you might be falling in love, you probably want to get to know this person.
You might want to know what their favorite food is, what their favorite childhood memory is. You’re curious about what makes them tick – because this person will make your life better.
4) You enjoy spending time with them without sex
When your soul is in love, you enjoy all the time you spend with that person just basking in the warm feelings. While sex is great, it’s not required for a good time. You might enjoy spending time together just talking, being adventurous, doing new things, or even doing what you each enjoy separately.
When you can each sit on the couch and separately read a book while your feet touch, feeling perfectly content, this person has now become your best friend!
5) You are perfectly content to talk to them for hours
Often, genuine love feels like you can talk to them for a long time. You may have common interests or You don’t run out of things to say and you can talk about whatever comes to your mind. Hours fly by when the person in front of you is someone that romantic love has brought into your life.
When there’s no end point for how long a conversation can last, it might be time to call what what going on between the two of you love.
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6) You find your mind awhirl with a new passion for life.
Possibly the best feeling in the world is to have a child-like wonder for all the little things in life! Suddenly, you feel energized and passionate for life. You’re not just happy – you feel alive. Sometimes it makes you feel fearless. Sometimes it makes you think the world is conspiring to bring you all your dreams.
Love gives us the energy to power through after a few sleepless nights and brings passion to other areas of our lives.
7) You know who they are, deep down.
One of the primary signs of true love is that you know them. In fact, you may get a gut instinct that you knew who they were before you even got to know them.
Like they were made so perfectly for you that you were discovering things about them that you already anticipated! You knew their values, their passions, their flaws, and their trauma. And it is a great feeling to really know this special person and their character.
8) You accept their flaws.
Speaking of flaws, you are totally accepting of this person’s flaws. No human is perfect. We all have flaws. But people you have dated in the past didn’t feel right. Maybe it was that their foot odor was overwhelming, or you couldn’t stand how they eat. Or perhaps it was a bigger character flaw like their chronic low self-esteem. Whatever it is, your partners in the past left you annoyed or disappointed.
But when you’re in love, their flaws are beautiful because they’re a part of who they are. Their flaws don’t bother you one single bit!
9) You want to please them because their happiness makes you happy too.
Unhealthy or toxic love ideals tell us to be obligated to serve the other person. But when we’re experiencing what love feels like, we don’t mind doing favors or being of service. It doesn’t mean you bend over backwards. It means that you want to contribute to that person’s life and happiness. And their happiness makes you happy!
If they are in love with you, they likely love to do things for you as well!
10) You see beauty everywhere.
Being in love often softens the harshness of life and brightens the beauty of life. A sign you’re in love is that you see beauty everywhere. Whether it’s beauty in the sunrise after sleepless nights, or even just the beauty in a cup of coffee, it doesn’t matter.
The problems and worries that plague our existence seem to melt away, and what’s left is the most wonderful, uplifting parts of life.
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11) You don’t feel alone.
What does love feel like? One thing you certainly don’t feel: you don’t feel alone.
Being in love is a feeling that makes you feel full. Love makes you feel that you’re not alone anymore. You feel like what you were looking for has been found.
This is what love feels like: the feeling of being full, not just physically but emotionally too. Being in love means that you have someone who will always be there to support and care about what’s on your mind or life.
12) You feel their pain.
True love also feels painful sometimes, because when they are in pain, you are in pain. This is called empathy. When you’re in love and you have an open heart, you often feel everything your partner is feeling.
This feeling of empathy is what allows you to love your partner unconditionally. Empathy and unconditional love are two of the main characteristics that need to be present for a relationship to blossom into something beautiful over time.
13) They’re always on your mind.
A good sign of true love is that they are always on your mind.
It feels good to think about them and what they might be up to at the moment. You text them regularly (but not obsessively) to see how their day is going, and when you get home, you can’t wait to talk to them.
14) You would rather be with them than doing anything else.
The overwhelming feeling of wanting to spend every waking moment with that person is a good indication of what love feels like. When my husband and I were starting to date, I would spend a lot of time in his office during our prep time and after school. I couldn’t see him enough.
You would rather be with them than do anything else, so how does it feel to fall in love? It is wanting nothing more than to spend time together and enjoy the moments you share.
15) You can be your authentic self around them.
The most important thing about real love is that you never need to wear a mask around them. You can be your 100% true self when you’re with them.
Whether that means being weird or nerdy, serious or goofy, you don’t ever worry about being authentic when you’re with your partner.
Being with them is effortless!
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16) Your feelings don’t fluctuate.
If you’re with someone that’s not right for you, you might have doubts. You might worry about what they’re thinking. You might feel deeply in love one minute and wonder if you’re headed for a break up the next.
With true love, you don’t experience that. Sure, you might need to communicate with them about your needs, but overall, your feelings don’t fluctuate. They’re steady, regardless of whether you’re in the midst of an effortless, wonderful period of life, or whether you’re deep in a difficult time. This person is by your side and your feelings of love are steady and true.
17) You are interdependent.
Relationship experts say that healthy love happens when two people are interdependent. That is, they lean on one another, care deeply about each other, but they also have their own lives.
This is a sign of trust and common respect, which are both essential when you’re in a long-term relationship. I like to think of this as choosing to walk the same life path side by side.
When you’re with the right person, this should be as easy as breathing!
18) You don’t get mad at them very easily.
No two people in the world will agree on everything all the time. But when you do disagree, you try to come to a compromise.
Feeling at peace even when you’re arguing, as opposed to feeling angry and resentful? That’s what being in love can feel like.
No one is perfect – but they are your person. And that makes them great!
19) Your love for them is unconditional.
Unconditional love is a kind of love where people do not set conditions or requirements for their love. This kind of love is superior to what is usually called “love” because it allows space for mistakes.
If your partner makes a mistake you still love them. And if you make a mistake, your partner does not hold it against you. People who experience unconditional love feel cherished and adored.
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20) They are your safe space.
This is a big one that tells you exactly what real love feels like. When you are in a romantic relationship with the right person, you feel physically and emotionally safe with them. You know that they will be there for you and will protect you.
You feel as if nothing can get through what is created between the two of you. It also means that they are someone who respects your boundaries and your feelings.
This feeling of safety is a pretty big indicator that what you feel right now isn’t just attraction – it’s actually love!
21) You feel the same way as you did when you first met them, but more intense each day.
In the words of Spiral Staircase, “I love you more today than yesterday. But not as much as tomorrow.”
You’ll notice that love for this person continues to grow and grow. Your deep connection gets even deeper. Love never dies and what you feel for your true love never diminishes. Sure, love changes over time. Perhaps it includes kids and less time alone together, but the actual feeling of love never wavers.
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22) Happiness is everywhere you turn.
Simply, love feels like happiness. Your partner’s presence in your life is so meaningful and wonderful that you spend most of your time feeling happy.
Sure, life happens and there are ups and downs. But ultimately, this person can make you feel happier just by saying a silly joke or being there as a shoulder to cry on.
What does love feel like when you’ve been together forever?
You might be thinking this article is a little idealistic and romanticizes modern love too much. And perhaps it does.
Time can be our best friend or our worst enemy. Maybe you once felt this way, but now, you’re not so sure. Maybe the person’s flaws are little more annoying, and you no longer see the beauty you once did.
Here’s the thing. A lot of people drift apart. It doesn’t mean the love is no longer there.
It may mean that you need to find your way back to each other. Because when you ask “what does love feel like when you’ve been together forever?” you may find the answer is much different.
It is worth mentioning that while everyone develops with different relationships, there are key factors that can lead people into being rekindled in their deep love for one another once again in a long-term relationship.
Take a look at the list above. What are some things that you find are untrue for you? Perhaps you feel disconnected from them and no longer want to spend time with them like you once did. Finding a way to reconnect isn’t as difficult as you may think.
Take some time to plan getting away from your obligations: namely, kids and work. Then spend time alone together. You can look into each other’s eyes, talk like you once did, or just cuddle. You may discover that those feelings of love were still there all along and you just needed to dig them up. They were buried beneath years of hardship, worry, life, and struggle. But the feelings are still there.
Conclusion
Now you have a great idea of what love actually feels like, true love, falling in love, and long-term love. Use these 22 telltale signs to determine what love looks like in your life. And if you’re worried that your relationship does not look like this, make sure you read:
How to Manifest a Healthy Relationship
And be sure to leave a comment to tell me what love feels like for you!
Michael lawson
Monday 15th of November 2021
The same in every way
Lisa
Thursday 8th of July 2021
Absolutely right on the money! I feel all of this. I am so in love, although my boyfriend doesn’t seem to be yet. But I know it will happen. My heart tells me we are destined to be together.