It's quite common for one person to get attracted to another person. However, every attraction cannot be termed as true love. Sometimes, people mistake their feelings for someone as love when they are simply infatuated with them. This often results in wrong decisions and you may end up losing someone who was actually meant to be with you.
While there’s no definitive measure of true love, you can look for the signs that will help you understand your feelings. Read on to know about signs that will tell you whether it’s infatuation or love that you are experiencing.
Infatuation is quick; love takes time.
When you are infatuated with someone, it happens very quickly. You might not even know anything about that person, but you can still imagine your future with them. On the other hand, love is not that simple. It’s more about developing feelings for someone over a period when you have spent enough time with them or at least have known enough things about them that matter to you. Similarly, infatuation goes away after a while, but true love will only grow strong with time.
Infatuation is sexual; love is emotional.
If your feelings for someone are predominated by sexual fantasies and physical desires, you are probably just infatuated with them. You keep thinking about the moment when the two of you will finally be all alone. You crave for their presence and grab every chance just to be around them. On the other hand, love is more about feelings and emotions. No matter how far they are, you always keep thinking about them. You want to share every little thing with that person and want to know all about them because you care.
Infatuation makes you feel insecure; love makes you feel safe.
In infatuation, you might feel like you must be the best version of yourself and hide away your weaknesses just to appear desirable. That’s because you are insecure about your own shortcomings in front of them. But in love, you feel safe with that person. You choose to be loyal and feel free to be who you are around them. It’s comforting and reassuring to be with someone who makes you feel this way.
Infatuation is dreamy; love is real.
Infatuation is dreamy as it drives you towards perfection. When you are infatuated with someone, you want to be perfect for them and see only good things in them. You also imagine things that are too good to be true. However, love is very much realistic. In love, people accept and acknowledge all the good as well as bad about their partner. And yet they want to be with each other throughout the ups and downs.
Infatuation doesn’t help you in crisis, love does.
When you are in crisis, do you call up your love interest for help? Or do you avoid bothering them for something that someone else might just solve? Well, if it’s love, you wouldn’t think twice before reaching out to that person as you would rely on them to find a solution. And if they feel the same for you, they won’t be bothered at all. Instead, they would be glad to be there for you and so would you if the roles were swapped.
How to ditch infatuation and seek true love?
If you find yourself falling for someone and can’t decide whether it’s infatuation or love, you need to relax and take things slow. Look for the signs explained above and act accordingly. Although it’s humane to make mistakes and take wrong decisions, you can try to get over infatuation when you have the chance.
Once you look for these signs, you will be able to understand the situation more clearly. Here are some more things to do when you want to look for true love and avoid infatuation:
- Get to know the person: If you really want to be with the right person, take interest in their life and ask them about their life. Don’t restrict your conversations to likes and dislikes. Talk about more personal stuff like dreams, aspirations, and life goals. This will help you develop a great bond with them so you can take things forward.
- Make dates interesting: Make your date nights interesting by including romantic activities like taking a walk on the beach or a picnic in the park. Enjoy the environment around you and enjoy the vibes. This will bring the two of you closer to each other, in both emotional as well as physical sense.
- Call instead of texting: Instead of texting each other all day, set aside some free time and call each other up. Share your thoughts and discuss meaningful matters like childhood stories and other precious memories. No matter the physical distance, keep each other on your mind and make every moment count whenever you meet.