Understanding your love language is vital to creating a lasting love for yourself and with another person. A love language is the way you express or receive love. It is important to know how you would like to receive love in order to know what to ask of yourself and of another person.
There are five different love languages; words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, physical touch and quality time. All of the love languages may have a time and place in your relationship and they all serve different purposes. However, for most people there is one or two that represent how they prefer to be loved. This is the thing that is nonnegotiable and must be present in a strong and love filled relationship.Â
The words of affirmation love language is the desire to receive words that communicate love, respect or appreciation. It is important to receive words of encouragement from your partner. In any relationship, whether it is with yourself or another person, it is important to hear that you are loved.Â
Acts of service is the act of doing something for your partner, especially without asking for said tasks to be done. This service could range from something simple to a grand gesture. Examples include putting gas in their car, helping them complete housework or helping them with a big project for work/school.
One may assume that the desire to receive gifts is materialistic but that is not always the case. The person may appreciate the thought and effort that went into the gift, not the gift itself or the materialism that comes with the it. When you receive a gift, it shows that the person was thinking about you and that they wanted to give you something that will make you happy.Â
People whose love language is physical touch prefer to receive affection through touch or physical closeness, something as simple as holding hands can make a person with this love language feel appreciated and loved.Â
Quality time is accomplished when your partner gives you their undivided attention to you. This time together can be spent building or strengthening a relationship. Quality time achieves closeness that is not necessarily of a physical manner.Â
When embarking on a new relationship it may be beneficial to discuss each others love languages, so you will both know how to love one another in the most effective way.
Love languages are an important concept to understand even if you are not in a relationship, understanding your love language can aid you in your own self love journey as well. It is important that you love yourself the way you desire as well. When loving yourself or another person, you must continue to strengthen that love throughout the entirety of the relationship, this can be accomplished by loving a person in the way they want to be loved.
Don’t be afraid to ask to be loved properly, demand that you be loved in the way you want and need to be.