Just some ways falling in love can change you
Falling in love is one of the great rites of passages in life. Most people who are not in love want to be, or at least probably would like to be someday. Falling in love with someone who loves you back is one of the best feelings in the world. Real love is different from what we see in movies. It isn’t always easy, convenient or what you expected it to be. Still, those of us who have felt the tingling, warm and fuzzy feelings and everything else that comes with new love know it changes you. Here’s how.
It makes you see the world differently
Are you pessimistic? Falling in love may change that. Optimism abounds when you first fall in love. Maybe you thought you’d never fall in love, or maybe you didn’t realize how powerful an emotion it could be. If you never knew you could feel so happy, you may wonder what else is possible. You may not suddenly turn into a sappy, cloying kind of person, but love has still changed the way you see the world. Now it is a much better, hopeful place.
It makes you want to be better
When you fall in love, the object of your affection seems perfect (even though realistically you know they, like everyone else, are flawed). This person inspires you. Chances are, the person you love sees you as close-to-perfect, too. They see your good qualities and your potential. You’ll want to rise to the occasion and be the person they think you are.
It makes you more thoughtful
Falling in love makes you think of someone else more than you think of yourself. You don’t want to do anything that could hurt your new love. You want to treat your partner well. And you want your beau to feel special, because this person is super important to you. You want to treasure your love, so you don’t lose it.
It makes you think about the future
This doesn’t mean that once you fall in love, suddenly you are planning your dream wedding (although that is the case for some people, and there’s nothing wrong with that!). But falling in love does make you think about your future and if you and your significant other have one together. Does your beau have plans to stay in the same city as you? How does he or she feel about living together? When your new love talks about plans for the future and includes you in them, you can’t help but get excited. You may imagine what kind of parent your new love will be (someday, not necessarily next year!), or what it would be like to grow old together. Either way, falling in love makes you think about the future.
It makes you happier
This may seem pretty obvious, but falling in love makes you happier. Music is more meaningful, colors are brighter, other people’s PDA doesn’t bother you so much — you know how they feel! When you fall in love with someone who loves you, you are over-the-moon because someone so special adores you, too!
Although the heightened emotions that come with falling in love tend to soften with time, hopefully the feelings and act of loving someone does not. The experience changes a person, and the optimist in me thinks that change is for the better.
[Image via Lionsgate]
