Love is one of the most beautiful feelings and experiences that we can ever experience but learning how to love someone completely can sometimes feel elusive and mysterious. After all, what does it mean to love someone? We know that we want to feel loved and adored, and we know that we want to give that love back to someone else. But do we really understand what it means?
Most of us know love when we feel it. And when we feel this beautiful feeling, it usually prompts us to want to do something for the object of our affection. This is natural because love is a verb, as they say, which means we tend to show our love and affection by doing a variety of different things.
Learning how to love someone needn’t be complicated
While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all instruction manual on how to love someone, we did come up with some helpful and heartfelt tips to show your heart to the one you love the most.
#1. Accept Them For Who They Are
Your love isn’t perfect, and never will be. We all come with our flaws and baggage, and our shadow side and triggers. Some days we might not even like our partner. They will annoy us with their tics and what was first deemed cute — like them singing while doing the dishes — might eventually turn irritating.
This is when love comes in. Love accepts someone for who they are, and not wanting to change them. Love is seeing someone’s flaws and wounds, and recognizing that they’re imperfectly perfect. How to love someone completely means just that — loving them wholly are they are.
#2. Listen to Them
Learning how to love someone completely means listening to who they are. What are their hopes and dreams? What are their fears and struggles? How was their day? Love is created through connection and communication, and listening is one of the most selflessly loving gestures you can do for your beloved.
So many of us want to be seen for who we are and it’s so natural for us to crave attention from our partners. This is helped by our loved ones listening to us and what we have to say, whether it’s about our work day stories or the biggest hopes we have. Putting away your phone and creating the time to place your undivided attention onto your loved one is a powerful sign of your love
#3. Tell Them How You Feel
Another crucial part of connecting with your partner is what you say to them. Consistent communication is key in order for any relationship to truly thrive. Communicating your fears and your hopes are all signs that you love and trust your partner. Touching base throughout the day is another sign that connecting with your beloved regularly is important to you. After all, it’s natural for us to regularly connect with the ones we most care about.
And, above everything else, don’t underestimate the power of communicating your feelings to your love. You don’t need to be Shakespeare, or even recite Shakespeare for that matter! Just share what’s in your heart about them. It can be as simple as, “I love you and I appreciate having you in my life.
#4. See Yourselves as a Team
Showing how you love someone is not only viewing your relationship as a team, but also putting that into action. Love isn’t separate. It’s also not a competition and it doesn’t stem from fear, insecurity, or jealousy. Love is a team sport. You are in your relationship together. You are fighting and playing for the same goal: togetherness.
You want your relationship and your love to thrive and grow no matter what obstacles and challenges might come your way. Love gets curious and asks the tough questions and faces the icky situations together rather than run away. Love chooses to make the big decisions together and does so with the intention that both of you will be happy with the solution. Love works together, always.
#5. Love Yourself First
Knowing how to love someone comes from learning how to love yourself. You cannot fully show up for someone if you cannot show up for yourself. Taking care of yourself, including honoring your needs, desires, and goals that are separate from the relationship, are vital when it comes to loving someone else. We can’t fully love someone if we don’t know how to love ourselves first. When we are able to accept and honor ourselves first and tend to our well-being, only then are we able to give the space to love someone else completely.
Knowing how to love someone completely needn’t be complicated. Loving someone to the fullest is learning about who they are and consistently connecting with them, including sharing our feelings. It means that you see you and your partner as part of this beautiful team and honoring that everyday.