Love comes in all forms; it’s complex, deep, intuitive, and beautiful. It is the sole object of what humans yearn for: to love and to be loved mutually in its entirety. Knowing how to love and what accepting a healthy love looks like in your own life stems from understanding your wants and needs and accepting nothing less. What are your non-negotiables? What are the things you simply won’t accept in a connection? This also opens the door to understanding how you give love to others and what makes your heart open up deeper. There are many facets to knowing who you are when it comes to love. So, let’s dive deeper into the many different love languages and how this can help you better grasp your own. 

First and foremost, when we think of love languages, we often consider how we express our love to others and how we like to receive love as well.

Words of Affirmation

The love language of Words of Affirmation thrives on communication and reassurance within a connection. Its most important pillar is knowing what your partner needs to hear at the right time and effectively communicating your feelings to them. Words of Affirmation are also rooted in security. Constantly hearing these words of reassurance evokes a sense of comfort and trust that one may seek in times of insecurity or doubt in the relationship.

Acts of Service

Acts of Service involve helping your partner with tasks out of love. It’s a willingness to lend a helping hand as a means to show how much you care for them. Examples of Acts of Service include cooking for them or helping with little things. It’s all about understanding how your partner likes things done and doing it for them.

Quality Time

This love language is described exactly as its name suggests. It flourishes in spending time together in any way. Finding comfort in each other’s presence and enjoying being with one another, no matter what you’re doing, is key. Quality Time also creates a sense of safety within a connection, knowing that the time spent together will always be cherished.

Physical Touch

Physical Touch and Quality Time go hand in hand as this love language thrives on being in the physical presence of another. It involves conveying love through physical closeness and reassuring your partner by wanting to be around them—being clingy, but in a healthy way.

Gift Giving

The love language of Gift Giving involves presenting things to your partner, often sentimental gifts that represent how much you love and appreciate them. Regardless of how extravagant or small the gift may be, this love language emphasizes that the primary way you communicate love is through material expressions.

Love Styles

Each person expresses their love languages in ways that reflect their own love styles. This is essential in understanding how one communicates within their relationships. It helps explain how they process certain situations, why they may shut down, or need more reassurance during their own journeys of love. Identifying the styles in which we love can feel easier than trying to understand those of others. That’s why it may sometimes seem as though you can’t fully “understand” or read love from another person’s perspective. Everyone understands how to love and what being loved looks like according to their own experiences. Therefore, it’s crucial to recognize that different styles and ways of expressing love do exist. It’s truly about finding what feels right for you and how you can further express that love in ways that are healthy for your heart, mind, and soul. ❤

Want to find out your love language? Take a quiz here: https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language