How do you know when you feel love?

[Th****]

I'm curious on people's take on the subject, I feel like me personally I've lost the ability or never truly had the grasp of how love is suppose to feel like or look like.

[Ch****]

Love is ever changing due to different people, circumstances, opportunities, and what path in life you’re on and if others choose to walk with you on that path, but also how long, or will your paths diverge. In other words, trial and error.

[Deleted Member]

You genuinely care for someone, and want to support them in any way to help them grow and succeed in life. Being with that person is like breathing. The thought of them makes you feel joy, warmth, horny, anxious, and afraid all in one. Don't mistake that with infatuation, it's really easy to get the two mixed if you've never really loved.

[Deleted Member]

Love is tricky because it feels different for everyone. For me, it's that mix of excitement and comfort, wanting someone's happiness as much as your own. It's in the small, everyday things and the deeper connection you feel. If you're feeling lost with love, maybe it's just about finding what makes you feel cared for and safe again.

[La****]

24 minutes ago, Squeezemecumagain said:

You genuinely care for someone, and want to support them in any way to help them grow and succeed in life. Being with that person is like breathing. The thought of them makes you feel joy, warmth, horny, anxious, and afraid all in one. Don't mistake that with infatuation, it's really easy to get the two mixed if you've never really loved.

Thankyou for saying this. Such a good reminder of what love is.

[La****]

Tbh with you. Ive been thinking about the answer but I think people are way more qualified of saying what that is. All my life I havent actually experience genuine love but rather, obsession. I only knew abt how to preserve the idea of the people of my interest, rather than them as themselves. Its explained bcs I was a very young woman who been thru a lot and had mental problems. Now that Im well, Ive been experiencing the ‘love’ that the concept and feelings were really foreign for me. And I realize, its abt the attraction towards someones soul, heart, mind, intelligence and ability, beyond their physical or material possesions. Its when you genuinely admire, care and want to protect them and their future. While also nurturing towards their inner child and past. When you want to share your personal space and cant wait to share that with them. Its a sense of warmth, safety and comfort for both parties. And Id also like to add; hopefulness for growth and future. I havent yet met a person to experience that with me, bcs of mutiple failed relationship attempts. But Im willing to keep searching and have more patience while keep improving myself. So once I met them, Id be more than just ready.

[Deleted Member]

14 minutes ago, Lady_King said:

Tbh with you. Ive been thinking about the answer but I think people are way more qualified of saying what that is. All my life I havent actually experience genuine love but rather, obsession. I only knew abt how to preserve the idea of the people of my interest, rather than them as themselves. Its explained bcs I was a very young woman who been thru a lot and had mental problems. Now that Im well, Ive been experiencing the ‘love’ that the concept and feelings were really foreign for me. And I realize, its abt the attraction towards someones soul, heart, mind, intelligence and ability, beyond their physical or material possesions. Its when you genuinely admire, care and want to protect them and their future. While also nurturing towards their inner child and past. When you want to share your personal space and cant wait to share that with them. Its a sense of warmth, safety and comfort for both parties. And Id also like to add; hopefulness for growth and future. I havent yet met a person to experience that with me, bcs of mutiple failed relationship attempts. But Im willing to keep searching and have more patience while keep improving myself. So once I met them, Id be more than just ready.

That’s a really thoughtful perspective, and I think it shows how much you’ve grown. It’s awesome that you’re focusing on the deeper aspects of love, like the connection to someone’s soul and mind, rather than just the surface stuff. It sounds like you’re on the right path, being patient and working on yourself. I believe when the right person comes along, you’ll be more than ready for that kind of real, meaningful connection.

[CharlieGotYouRight]

I feel like I'm being genuine when I am experiencing love. All my anxiety, worry, thoughts, all shift into much higher emotions. I feel like I'm operating on a higher wavelength but that's just when I feel it. Love doesn't always mean much in work depending on how it's received. Working hard to feed family gives a certain gratification and purpose that I also consider love

[Deleted Member]

There’s a term for that and it rhymes with hopiopath

Just kidding hahahaha….
Love actually feels different to different people. Some people would qualify healthy and unhealthy feelings of love.

I’d say romantic love is deep consideration and care for someone and wanting to share more with them and somewhat into preoccupation (maybe debatable) and attachment into desire to own someone

[Deleted Member]

To love is to be unconditional with your thoughts feelings and actions with the other person.
To lust is to do the opposite.
For me anyway xx

[P_****]

I can't speak for both of us but for me personally when I met P I just had a strong gut instinct that I was meant to be with him. Beyond the lust and kink (we met on here haha), I felt safe and accepted in a way that I had never experienced before, and I hoped to make him feel the same. I wanted to experience life with him, not just the fun bits but all of it, and I still feel so lucky to be in this relationship 🖤

[My****]

I’ve been fortunate to experience multiple types of love. One love is that unconditional acceptance & forgiveness from another. The ability to fully and freely express yourself. Another love I’ve felt was supernatural connection. You look at them and can feel your whole body on fire and can feel them touching your private parts. You look at them and have tunnel vision for only them everything else and blurred out. You communicate in your dreams no matter how far apart or gaps in speaking to one another.

[ArkRex]

Love for me starts with that connection of energies that can be when our eyes first meet, the sound of their voice first resonates in me, my mind starts building a visual representation of who they are in my memories, the charged sensation of our bodies touching as we hold hands, hug, and first kiss. Love is the realization and respect for them that I relate to them and that seems to be mutual. Love for me is that sense of pure joy and excitement that rushes throughout my body and mind because of that person. As just was mentioned, I thought that I can have purely sexual desire for someone based on a visually physical attraction for then, but there is still something about their energies that is usually involved for me. But more often, I relate the feeling of lust as the continuation and expansion of the feelings of love, culminating into an overwhelming desire to share physical sexual experiences with this person whom I already have connections with along intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects already, and now want to experience even more deeper and more explosively together. Love is a sharing of energies, for me, I believe...

[Th****]

Thanks for everyone's input and perspectives it warms my heart to hear how you've all experienced love or how you feel it looks like. Thank you. 🖤💀

[my****]

I’ve fallen in love twice in 46 years. When you know, you know. Both times for me it was some inconsequential action and it occurred to me that I love this woman. No grand gestures, no perfect thing she said to me, just out of the blue. The last one was sharing a gif of a woman sliding across the floor and wrapping around her dance partners leg. And she wrote this is me and you. It was so adorable. It’s not the action, it’s the confluence of actions that flips the switch inside of you and then you know. You can’t *** love. It just shows up one day.

[bu****]

I have had sex with over 2300 ladies and I have been in love 3 or 4 times. Love is a choice . love feels like your a key and she’s the whole. You want to drink her *** and you don’t care if she farts on you

[Hub123]

You never know when your love its coming

[Lost-Girl]

I hear you! I have done some self reflection and had a lot of growth just being on my own and learning to be ok with the stillness (it makes sense to me) anyway I have thought about past relationships and people that I have been intimate with, I realise I think it's love but it isn't it's more like an addiction and an infatuation, I am addicted and in love with the way a person makes me feel not necessarily the person. So when it doesn't work out or when I get bored I'm not sad for long certainly not heartbroken like I should be if I "loved" them. When I was only 17 I met the love of my life, he abandoned me and our child and instead of hating him I have always remained in love with him and leaving the door open for him (it's been 17 years he's not coming back) I honestly think I gave him something I never got back and you can't give someone else something you no longer possess.
It has ruined my life, sabotaged all my relationships but am I able to feel anything less for him than absolute love .... nope
It's Salt in the wound when I see his beautiful son every day and he looks the spitting image of him. Still he is without a father and I am without my person or a heart I still wonder who is at a greater loss

[Th****]

14 hours ago, Lost-Girl said:

I hear you! I have done some self reflection and had a lot of growth just being on my own and learning to be ok with the stillness (it makes sense to me) anyway I have thought about past relationships and people that I have been intimate with, I realise I think it's love but it isn't it's more like an addiction and an infatuation, I am addicted and in love with the way a person makes me feel not necessarily the person. So when it doesn't work out or when I get bored I'm not sad for long certainly not heartbroken like I should be if I "loved" them. When I was only 17 I met the love of my life, he abandoned me and our child and instead of hating him I have always remained in love with him and leaving the door open for him (it's been 17 years he's not coming back) I honestly think I gave him something I never got back and you can't give someone else something you no longer possess.
It has ruined my life, sabotaged all my relationships but am I able to feel anything less for him than absolute love .... nope
It's Salt in the wound when I see his beautiful son every day and he looks the spitting image of him. Still he is without a father and I am without my person or a heart I still wonder who is at a greater loss

Thank you for this ... This resonates with me a bit. Although my situation is different I understand. I'm sorry for what you went through I hope we both find love again and the happiness we deserve

[ca****]

16 hours ago, Lost-Girl said:

I hear you! I have done some self reflection and had a lot of growth just being on my own and learning to be ok with the stillness (it makes sense to me) anyway I have thought about past relationships and people that I have been intimate with, I realise I think it's love but it isn't it's more like an addiction and an infatuation, I am addicted and in love with the way a person makes me feel not necessarily the person. So when it doesn't work out or when I get bored I'm not sad for long certainly not heartbroken like I should be if I "loved" them. When I was only 17 I met the love of my life, he abandoned me and our child and instead of hating him I have always remained in love with him and leaving the door open for him (it's been 17 years he's not coming back) I honestly think I gave him something I never got back and you can't give someone else something you no longer possess.
It has ruined my life, sabotaged all my relationships but am I able to feel anything less for him than absolute love .... nope
It's Salt in the wound when I see his beautiful son every day and he looks the spitting image of him. Still he is without a father and I am without my person or a heart I still wonder who is at a greater loss

This resonates with me to some  (quite a bit!!) degree....... quite a few similarities......

Coupled with an huge emotional void in my upbringing and a massive lack of emotional intelligence at the time I went through it (along with some other emotional turmoil's earlier in my life).......    I found myself in a place of non understanding.....  still find it difficult to explain / describe / understand myself as I was then....

 

Would say I have moved on (in some ways, learned things thru counselling and it has helped) but still know that it does affect me in other ways also.

 

Edited October 29, 2024 by callipygian

[Lost-Girl]

3 hours ago, Theskelly said:

Thank you for this ... This resonates with me a bit. Although my situation is different I understand. I'm sorry for what you went through I hope we both find love again and the happiness we deserve

I really don't want it! You can have all the love :-)

[Lost-Girl]

1 hour ago, callipygian said:

This resonates with me to some  (quite a bit!!) degree....... quite a few similarities......

Coupled with an huge emotional void in my upbringing and a massive lack of emotional intelligence at the time I went through it (along with some other emotional turmoil's earlier in my life).......    I found myself in a place of non understanding.....  still find it difficult to explain / describe / understand myself as I was then....

 

Would say I have moved on (in some ways, learned things thru counselling and it has helped) but still know that it does affect me in other ways also.

 

We are more alike than you think lol

[ca****]

40 minutes ago, Lost-Girl said:

We are more alike than you think lol

Maybe so...  but I realise, it isnt that uncommon and is a part of life....  I think the impact can be 'magnified' when the people it happens to aren't able to fully understand / comprehend / know / process / realise / get what is actually happening or why ....  

Being able to discuss and share it is also something I have learnt.....  maybe not so well but certainly better than I used to be.....

 

It is also the reason I find the 'forum' here such a 'good' place for referencing this kind of issue / subject... i think it can be a big help and comfort to many.

 

Edited October 29, 2024 by callipygian

[Pe****]

For me it's simple. When you care about another person's happiness, that's love.

I find many people get it backward. They think love is the happiness you make them feel. Their happiness wanes, and they think they've fallen out of love, but you don't stop loving somebody because you're not happy. Even if you know the relationship isn't going to work and you break up, you care about their happiness and hope they can find it without you.

Love is caring with no strings attached.

[bi****]

When you forget that you shouldn't trust someone because of how cute they are. And you think more people should be like them.