Relationships July 13, 2017
Are you ready for that next step?
Photo via Instagram / @couplegoalsYou’re in a new relationship and you’re getting close to dropping the “L” word.
But saying you love someone is only the first step because do you mean you love them or you’re in love with them? ENTITY is here to break down what love vs. in love means.
Let’s start with some love vs. in love definitions.
Can you love someone without being in love? Well sure, you love your family. And you love your friends. But you probably wouldn’t tell those people you’re in love with them.
When it comes to relationships, though, this becomes a little harder to sort out.
We don’t want yours to end in heartbreak, so we looked for some advice to help explain the difference between the two. Thankfully, Reddit users are always willing to share their experiences. Here’s what they had to say.
“Love to me, is quite general. It’s ironic I call it ‘general’ because it took me a lot of work to get to that point about love. When I was younger I was [exposed] to varying degrees for many years.
“I learned about the Buddhist concept of what love is: compassion. And it changed how I view love. Put very simply, love is the cultivation [of] yourself and [in your] surroundings – compassion and kindness for others.
“It’s not always easy to do all the time, but I feel like trying to actively cultivate this form of ‘love’ in my life generally, to others and [to] myself makes me feel like a more whole and complete person.”
“Being in love is trickier. It’s part ‘I just know.’
“A big hint for me? If it’s a genuine connection, [then] it’s looking past their flaws (not quite deal-breaker territory flaw) and still seeing so much overwhelming good.”
“The desire and ability to compromise for the sake of our relationship is either easy or accepted as part of what makes a relationship work without resistance.”
“This is mutual though, not one sided. When we are both accepting and romantic of each other, and willing to put in the effort to be with one another, and really know one another to a deeper level, I think this is when I can start to differentiate I am in love with someone.
“The key is the mutual aspect here.”
“Being in love can feel a little like infatuation at first but there is a safe, calmness and a stability to being in love that infatuation doesn’t have. While there are still highs and lows they seems to be less extreme and with less frequent fluctuations.”
So now you understand the difference between what love vs. in love means. Are you ready to take that next step with your partner?
RELATED POSTS:
