You’ve got those butterflies in your stomach, you can’t stop thinking
about this person, and you even made your home screen wallpaper on your
phone this person’s picture! Is this it? Are you in love? How
can you be sure that you are in love with someone, or if you just
really like them a lot? Want to know if cupid has struck your heart and
if you’ve caught the love bug? Check out these signs below.
- You put the other person first. You don’t think about yourself as much anymore. Now, when you think about yourself, there is another sweet face right there in the picture; the face of that person who you’re crushing on. When there is one piece of food left on the tray, you offer it to them. Only one seat on the bus? You’d rather your love interest have it. Your boo is not feeling so well, so you skip your soccer game to make a grocery run for juice, soup, and other essential items that they need. You get the picture? You’re starting to put the other person’s needs before yours. When you start sacrificing your needs for someone else, that’s a sign that you just might be in love.
- You smile a lot. Being in love can increase your endorphins, which are your happy hormones. This can make you smile more than you normally do, which is totally fine, because if you’re hanging out with someone who you have fun with, someone who accepts you for who you are, and someone who respects you, then smile away!
- You want to support the other person. There are some people who just take, and take, and take. Those are people who you don’t want to establish relationships with. However, there are others who give, give, and give, and those are the type of people who think about how they can add value to other people’s lives. If you are thinking about how you can support the other person, encourage them, motivate them, and how you can make a positive contribution to their life, then it’s very likely that your feelings are strong for them, because you value this person enough to want to invest in them.
- You listen to them. One of the greatest gifts that you can give someone is an open heart and open ear. When you genuinely listen to someone’s hopes and dreams, it shows that you care. Now-a-days people are usually so busy and distracted on their phones and with other electronic devices, so if you are able to give someone your genuine undivided attention, you might care greatly for them.
- You express your feelings. Some people have a hard time expressing themselves. But, if you really care about someone, and if you don’t want to lose them, you’ve got to figure out the best way to express your interest in a way that they will also receive your interest. There are several ways to express your feelings. One simple way is to express them through words by simply stating how you feel. You can compliment the person, tell them how they make you feel, or tell them the things that you like or admire about them. You could also try expressing your feelings through actions as well. There is an old saying “that actions speak louder than words” because sometimes feelings can be more genuinely felt through a person’s actions more than their words. To try expressing your feelings through actions, try surprising your crush by doing a chore for them one day, or running an errand for them. Maybe you could take them on a surprise date, or perhaps think of some sort of other gesture to show them that you care. Either way, if you are expressing your love and showing your feelings to this person, then you may be under cupid’s love spell.
Being
in love can be a fun, yet confusing time, and sometimes it’s hard to
tell if the feelings that you have are true love or if they are really
deep feelings of like for someone. So, take your time and get to know
your crush. Don’t rush into anything.
Have fun learning new things about them, while also learning new things
about yourself, and if/when you are really in love, you’ll definitely
know.
By Keisha Howard
Teen Advice Expert
