Having a crush is an emotional experience that can be fun or scary. The key is to know what it feels like so you can be prepared and react appropriately. Crushes can be a great way to start getting closer to someone or to open up about your feelings with them, but it’s important to know how to handle them before they get out of hand.
When You Have a Crush: Notice Your Behavior
Whether you walk by their locker every day or you have changed the path you take to class because you think your crush might be walking down that same route, it’s likely that you have a crush on them. It’s also important to pay attention to how you behave around them and what kind of reaction you have when they are in the room. For instance, if you’re nervous and shy around them, then you probably have a crush on them.
Your Heart Palpitates and your Palms Sweat When You See Them
It’s always a thrill to see the person you have a crush on, but that feeling is intensified when you see them in person. Your heart palpitates, your palms sweat, and you’re nervous for a second before you feel calm again.
This is an intense reaction because it’s a warning that you’re in danger. The sympathetic nervous system, the same part of your brain that controls the fight-or-flight response, is activated when you have a crush. Your blood pressure increases, your pulse quickens, and your skin turns pale.
Your eyes get dilated and your pupils are blurry. Your stomach twitch in knots and your throat gets dry.
You might be tempted to talk about your crush with random people. It’s important to only talk about your crush with your closest friends. This is to protect your crush and avoid embarrassing yourself or others.
When You Have a Crush: Understand It
A crush is a strong emotion that can be incredibly confusing for young people. It’s hard to understand why you have such strong feelings about someone else, especially if it’s the first time you’ve ever had a crush on a person.
The good news is that crushes are normal, and they’re actually a sign that you are developing a relationship with someone else. A crush can help you to understand other people better and develop empathy for them, which is a crucial skill for dating.
Understanding Your Crush: Learn the Science of Crushes
A crush can cause your hormone levels to change and can affect the chemical composition of your brain. Specifically, serotonin levels increase throughout the duration of the crush. This can help you to feel more relaxed and less anxious, which is essential for a healthy relationship.
You may feel giddy and uncontrollable when you have a crush, but it’s not as crazy as it sounds. This is because the hormones that are responsible for a crush act on different hemispheres of your brain than those involved in falling in love.