Love is one of life’s great mysteries. It is the feeling that we get when another person, ourselves included, opens up to us with unconditional love and empathy. And yet, it is the exact same feeling that saps our emotions and compromises our peace of mind every time we think about another. What makes love so difficult to bear, for those who feel it but can’t verbalize it, is that love is such an ordinary word – the words “love” and “hate” are just too clunky and unfamiliar. Instead of urging people to talk more about their feelings, this article will instead urge you to consider how love works in your own life and how you can put love into practice each and every day.
Love encompasses a whole range of positive and powerful emotional and psychological states, from the highest romantic desire, the strongest emotional intimacy, to the easiest pure joy. Love is the emotional bond we develop with another person by expressing our unmet needs with the help of our intimate partner. The most basic definition of love is the bond we have with another person that is based on caring, compassion, trust, respect, honesty, intimacy and pleasure.
If you’re stuck or don’t know where to begin when it comes to developing a loving relationship, consider taking some time out to do some self-reflection and ask yourself some challenging questions that may help you discover your own unique love style. For instance, what does your ideal romance involve? What kinds of activities do you enjoy doing together and how can you deepen your current intimacy?
Developing a healthy relationship means that you realize that there are certain boundaries you shouldn’t cross. For example, don’t jump into bed with someone you’ve only known for a short period of time if you aren’t ready to make a long term commitment. Always take the time to get to know a person before deciding to spend more time with them. You’ll also want to avoid relationships that result in deep negativity or hurt. As a positive emotion, anger tends to create distance between two people and if it’s present in a relationship, it will definitely hinder the development of any healthy emotions.
If love has been lost between you and a former partner, try some old English lessons. Learning how to express affection in the language that your lover speaks can be quite healing. For example, if your English lover says “I love you,” instead of “I love you/please” you should state the two words in a simple form of love. “I love you” is a phrase from the English language that conveys a more powerful message than “I love you/please.” With this simple change, you can bring back that spark of romance and save your marriage.
Passion can be one of the strongest negative emotions felt in any relationship. However, just as passionate feelings are experienced during sex, people can experience intense feelings of passion in a relationship too. If you find yourself getting caught in the middle of a passionate conversation with your partner, stop and try to identify what is causing the passion. Is it the thought of another person? Is it a physical desire to escape from the stress of everyday life? If it is a combination of any of these things, you may just have found your mate and you need to take a deeper breath and focus on connecting with him or her on a deeper level.