Is this love that I’m feeling?
If you’re asking yourself this question, you’re probably experiencing some symptoms of falling in love.
Being lovesick can feel wonderful, but it can also make you nervous and unsure about whether you’re falling in love or simply experiencing infatuation.
So, which one is it? Take a second to think about this person. Say their name in your head. Did you start smiling?
Here’s another test. When was the last time you mentioned their name in a conversation? More importantly, how many times have you talked about them lately?
Do you constantly find yourself talking about them even when it doesn’t make sense to bring up their name in a conversation?
Well, if you’re both happy and nervous because their name is now stuck in your head, you might be in love. But how can you tell for sure?
Here are some commonly overlooked signs that you’re falling in love with someone:
1. You’re planning your future with them.
Is this person included in your plans for the future?
Maybe you consider their hopes and dreams when planning your future. You could be looking to travel more because they’re the adventurous type, or maybe you want to settle down because you think that they’re at that place in life too.
Do you feel positive about your future with them? Maybe you know that things will be great with them. You see a bright future ahead of you, and they’re right there next to you in your vision of that future.
Do you frequently try to make plans with them for the medium to long term? Maybe you invite them to a wedding or a music festival that’s a few months from now. Perhaps you bring up going on a vacation together.
When you’re with them, you talk about doing something the following day too because you can’t wait to see them again.
2. You’re trying to be the best version of yourself.
Have you started dedicating a lot more of your time and energy to self-improvement? Maybe you want to become the best version of yourself because they make you want to be a better person.
You want to show them the best you’ve got in order to win them over. You think that they deserve the best, and you want to become that for them.
You started working out, changed your wardrobe, and got a new haircut. Maybe you did something else…but the point is that you are paying more attention to the way you look ever since they caught your eye.
All in all, you want to present yourself in the best possible light whenever you’re about to meet them. You feel more motivated to improve yourself because you are in love.
3. You trust them.
You feel like you can trust your partner, and it only makes you love them more.
You’re comfortable opening up to them about your biggest fears and dreams, and you trust that they will understand and keep your secrets without judging you. You feel safe with them and you’re not afraid to show your vulnerable side.
They feel like home to you, and you probably feel like you’ve known them for longer than you have. They feel warm and familiar, and you’re sure that they would never betray your trust.
You can tell them anything, and the two of you can talk for hours. They share their secrets with you too. Instead of judging them, you only love them more for being open and honest with you.
4. Your love doesn’t have a lot of conditions.
Whether you are in love or infatuated often depends on how long it takes for you to notice their flaws.
Loving someone means acknowledging and accepting their flaws. At the beginning of a new relationship, people tend to idealize their partner, but truly loving someone is different than being “in love.”
Your love doesn’t have many conditions, and you probably accepted some things about them that were close to being dealbreakers. When it comes to your partner, the good outweighs the bad.
So, maybe you thought that you could never be with someone who is a smoker, but you overlook the fact that this particular person smokes because you’re in love with them.
5. You appreciate the little things that they do for you.
Everyone likes grand gestures, such as those in romantic movies. But when you’re in love with someone, you appreciate even the tiniest things that they do for you, and you don’t ask for more.
For instance, you would be happy if they shared their burger with you on a bench instead of needing them to take you to a fancy restaurant. You appreciate these small acts of kindness and affection because you want to see a sign that they reciprocate your feelings.
As long as they remember to pick up your favorite candy from the store, you don’t need them to buy you expensive jewelry. It’s the small things that matter when you’re in love, and that’s often the difference between love and infatuation.
6. You find excuses to get in touch with them.
Are you texting them because you need to ask them something unimportant or calling them to get their advice on something trivial?
You always find an excuse to get in touch with them, whether it’s to bring up something they’ve mentioned before or to make plans for the future.
“I just saw this meme, and it reminded me of you.” Sound familiar?
When you do get in touch, you use the opportunity to schedule an in-person meet-up, whether it’s a date or just a friendly cup of coffee.
The point is, you’re constantly thinking about them and wanting to spend all of your free time with them.
7. You find excuses to see them.
What could you do to convince them to meet you? You think about this ahead of time and find the perfect excuse for needing to see them in person. You probably come up with fun date ideas, such as trying out a new dish or learning a new skill.
Maybe they talk about something, and later you turn the idea into a fun date. So, if they like jazz, you will invite them to a local jazz bar, and if they talked about working out, you will ask them to be your new gym buddy.
You don’t just want to spend time with them; you want to have a valid excuse and offer quality time together that they’ll enjoy.
If you’re in love with them, you’ll want to make them enjoy your company by engaging in more things that they like. So, you’ll pick their favorite film for movie night and their preferred merlot for wine tasting.
8. Something always reminds you of them.
When you’re in love, every song is about them. Every movie is about your love, and every poem is written for the two of you. Everything reminds you of your crush, even if you don’t want to think about them because you’re meant to be working or you’re engaged in a hobby.
A piece of clothing, the smell of perfume, the restaurant where you once went, the song that was playing when you danced together, the taste of champagne that you were drinking the first time you met.
Everything around you seems to be about them and your love for them. Even something silly such as a type of flower or car could somehow look like them for no apparent reason. You may just see something and instantly think of them and how much they’d like it.
So, you might buy them something that reminds you of them or maybe you’ll send them a message about it. You pick gifts based on their likes and interests and send them memes that you think they’d find funny.
9. You try to make them happy.
You would give anything to see that beautiful smile of theirs. It would be even better if you were the cause of it.
So, you try to make them laugh and share inside jokes that only the two of you get. Maybe you also give them a funny nickname. But that’s not the point.
The point is that you want to make them happy, and you would do whatever it takes for that to happen. You want to take care of them, be there for them, and generally contribute to their happiness.
So, you will always have their best interest in mind and treat them well. As already mentioned, you will also be generous with them by giving gifts related to their likes and interests, but also by giving them endless amounts of your time, affection, and attention.
10. You want to help them.
“But I can help him/her.” Does this sound familiar? When you’re in the process of falling in love with someone, you want to help them be the person that they are in your eyes.
And you look at them like they are an amazing human being with endless potential. You want them to live up to that potential and be the best person that they can be.
When you’re in love with someone, you want to grow with them and see them grow on their own. Your love motivates you and you want what’s best for your crush.
11. You’re more open to new things.
Ready to try new foods and drinks, travel, learn new things, and go on fun adventures?
When you’re in love, the world is your oyster.
You’re more open to new things because love makes you look at the world differently. You want to experience all that it has to offer, preferably with the object of your affection.
You will be especially interested in their world, and try to enjoy their likes and interests, or at least learn more about them to better understand your crush. So, you might find yourself interested in something that you never considered before, just because they like it too.
It’s good to have common interests, but don’t forget that you must respect your differences too. You don’t need to agree on everything. Don’t turn into someone you don’t want to be just because it suits their preferences.
You can be a cat person while they’re a dog person and make it work anyway, there’s no need to adopt a dog that you’re allergic to. It’s just an example, but love is a choice and a feeling that makes you do crazy things just to get your crush to like you back.
12. You analyze everything they do or say.
Did you spend hours analyzing an emoji or a brief text message? Don’t worry, all of us do that sometimes.
When you fall in love, you start to analyze everything this person does or says. What does it mean? Does it mean that they like you? What are they trying to tell you? Are they growing to love you, or are they growing distant?
Even if they are not sending any subliminal messages, you will try to find hidden meanings in what they say and do. You will analyze everything to prove that they like you too.
Most people do this even if they haven’t started dating yet, but once you’re in a committed relationship, this kind of obsessive behavior should stop.
However, after arguing with your partner, you could still go back to analyzing their actions and reading into their messages. Are they still mad at you? Who should apologize first? Is your relationship in danger? Are they willing to work on things?
Don’t neglect the importance of open and honest communication. So, instead of analyzing messages and asking your friends for answers to these questions, turn to your partner and confide in them about what worries you.
13. You empathize with them.
You will feel strong empathy for the person you love. We don’t always know why we fall in love, but we know that it makes us feel compassion for the other person. You care strongly about them and often mirror their emotions.
You are happy for them when they are happy, and it bothers you when they’re sad, so you try to cheer them up or at least offer a shoulder to cry on. You always want to make them happy, and you understand their perspective, or at least try to.
When something is happening to them, whether good or bad, you feel like it’s happening to you too, even if you’re not a couple yet.
14. You forget other things in your life.
Being in love can make you forget about everything and everyone else in your life other than the person that you’re falling for.
It’s okay when your crush is a priority to you, but it’s not so great when they are the only priority you have.
Ever since you fell in love, you probably started neglecting your tasks at work, chores at home, as well as your family and friends. You prioritize your crush over everyone and everything else. This implies that you’ll ditch your job or friends at the last minute when your crush rings you up to hang with them instead.
Relationships can take a lot of hard work, but you’re more than willing and ready to put all your time and energy into your love life.
In fact, your love life and this person have become the center of your universe where nothing else matters as much. This could cause you to lose your friends and even your job in some cases.
15. You feel safe in their arms.
You feel at home when you’re with them and safe in their arms when they hold you. You’re sure that they would be there for you no matter what, and their hug always helps when you’re feeling blue.
They take care of you by doing little things for you, and you appreciate that. You know that they would never hurt you on purpose and that they would help you and protect you if needed.
The point is, you know that this person is always on your side and that you can trust them no matter what. They would do anything for you, and you would do the same for them.
You know that they want you to be happy, and somehow they always manage to cheer you up or at least provide comfort with their warm embrace.
16. You feel like you could take on the world.
Anything is possible when you’re in love—you feel like you could take on the world! It’s like you’ve finally got the wind beneath your wings, and you’re ready to fly—even close to the sun.
You’re feeling adventurous and ready to follow their lead no matter where that takes you. You feel like you could achieve anything you put your mind to, and you’re making big plans, which always include your crush.
All in all, love makes you feel good and happy to be alive. You see love everywhere around you, and you believe in the good in people. Being in love makes you have a positive outlook on life.
17. You’re constantly smiling.
Remember the test from the beginning of this article? Well, who is it that you like? If their name brings a smile to your face anytime it pops into your head or on the screen of your phone, you’re in love.
You’re feeling silly and smiling like a crazy person even when there’s nothing funny going on. You laugh at their jokes because you enjoy being around them and find them amusing.
You’re always smiling because you’re constantly thinking about them and your plans for the future. When they walk into the room, your face lights up, and you always greet them with a wide smile.
18. You daydream and fantasize about them.
If you’ve already come up with your kids’ names, you’re in deep. You find yourself daydreaming and fantasizing about them. Maybe you think about your future together or even about made-up scenarios that you hope will one day become a reality.
You could fantasize about them proposing to you, imagine choreographies for your first dance, or write poetry about them.
Maybe you think about kissing them or making love to them, but you also imagine a big house in the suburbs with a white picket fence and a golden retriever…if that’s your thing.
Fantasizing about them makes you feel good and positive about your future together.
19. You are generally more loving.
You love this person wholeheartedly, but it somehow makes you feel like you have even more love to give.
In general, you’ve become a much more loving person since you fell in love. It’s not just that you show love to your crush, you show it to other people as well.
You make kind gestures, such as helping strangers on the street, and you are generous with your affection and money. You are in a more romantic mood in general, so these gifts could be roses or tickets to the opera.
You feel love and want to spread it everywhere you go, whether it’s by investing your time, money, or energy. When you truly feel good, you want others to feel good too.
20. You believe in forever love.
Maybe you don’t know this person that well, but you have a feeling that this could last forever.
Even if you weren’t a big believer in forever love before, now you are sure that you have found The One. You probably even use this term to describe your crush, and “soulmate” might get thrown around as well.
You believe that love can last forever, and you’re pretty sure that you will always love this person, no matter what happens.
Love doesn’t always last forever, but when you’re in love, it can make you confident that you’ll feel that way for as long as you live. Whether that’s true or not will be up to you to find out.
21. You want to say the L word.
You see their face across a crowded room, you lock eyes, they come near you, and your heart skips a bit. You think to yourself, I’m in love, and you want to say that aloud.
Is it too soon to use the L word?
Maybe, maybe not, but you feel the need to tell them that you love them. You want to say it whenever they smile at you or touch you.
Maybe you know that it’s too soon to say these words, but you will show your love with actions if you can’t say the words yet. You’ll shower them with affection, and the L word will be obvious even if it’s never said.
22. You are afraid of losing them.
You’re not afraid of being single again or getting hurt, you’re afraid of not having this person in your life because they mean so much to you.
Whenever the two of you fight, you want to find a way to resolve things as soon as possible. After all, you can’t stay mad at them for very long and just want to get back on track and work on what went wrong.
You want to keep this person in your life for as long as possible. Maybe you can’t even imagine your life without them anymore. So, it’s only natural that your fights are stressful for you.
However, know that all couples occasionally fight, and an argument doesn’t have to lead to a breakup. Even though you’re scared of not having this person in your life, don’t be afraid of a breakup every time you fight.
23. You love them despite their flaws.
According to you, this person is flawless. They are the most perfect individual that you have ever met. Or so you think.
When you’re in love, you may start idealizing your crush and overlooking their flaws. You may even fall in love with their imperfections because that’s what makes them different from all the rest.
You could be crazy about someone despite obvious red flags that would cause you to turn away from anyone else.
Be careful about lowering your standards for someone you love and overlooking their flaws simply because you’re in love with them. Even though a lot of people do this when they fall for someone, it is not a healthy love since they’re ignoring some important facts.
By all means, love your partner the way they are, but don’t ignore obvious red flags and dealbreakers just because they look gorgeous or make you laugh.
24. You are constantly talking about them.
Are your friends tired of hearing about this person? If you’re in love with them and constantly thinking about them, you’ll likely want to talk about them too.
You’ll ask your friends for advice and help with analyzing the things your crush says and does. If you have mutual friends, you might find a way to use them to get close to your crush.
The point is, their name is your favorite topic, and you use every chance to bring them up, even if the conversation doesn’t call for it.
25. You’re always thinking about them.
As you can probably guess from what you’ve read so far, a sign that you’re in love is if you’re always thinking about this person.
Everything reminds you of them. But, truthfully, you don’t even need to be reminded to think about them. You’re wondering what they’re doing and if they’re thinking about you too.
They’re probably the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning and the last thing you think about before you go to bed.
26. The sex is better.
Say what you will, but most of the time, sex is better when love is involved.
When you have feelings for someone, everything is more intense, and being in love also means that you’re passionate about this person and attracted to them.
If you had sex with this person, it was probably amazing, but this is not just about your chemistry in the bedroom. It is also about your feelings for them.
Making love is more than just sex, and if you had sex with someone you love, you know that it’s much better than when there are no feelings involved.
27. They give you butterflies in your stomach.
Ultimately, you are in love if the person gives you butterflies in your stomach. If they make you a bit nervous, it’s probably because you want to make a good impression and get them to love you back.
It’s normal if you get a bit goofy whenever they’re around or tease them because you don’t know how else to get them to see that you’re interested.
