The Five Love Languages became a hot topic in the early nineties when Gary Chapman released his book on this subject with comprehensive research on how to express and experience love in deeply personal and meaningful way.
The Five Love Languages are:
- Words of Affirmation
- Quality Time
- Physical Touch
- Acts of Service
- Receiving Gifts
We are all created with our own unique DNA for how we feel love. We’ve also had a lifetime of experiences that create the need for our specific love language which certainly can change at different times of our lives as well. You might deeply feel the words I love you, yet your person feels love from a hug. Both are love languages and lead to relationship fulfillment, but each will have increased meaning depending on what resonates the most in the deepest part of your heart.
Knowing how the most special people in your life experience love is a significant element to creating a bond and developing deeper love over time. Perhaps some people can figure out what each others love language is on their own and others need to be told. However it needs to happen, its important to figure it out and then implement. Awareness of your loved ones needs is the foundation for everything you want out of your relationship. Once you can support them in the ways they need which may not be what you need, you will immediately grow together.
Reshaping relationships of any kind takes intentional effort. Learning when and how your person feels the most loved and supported makes them feel valued, heard, cared about and truly loved.
I encourage you to figure it our for yourself first. What is your love language, what makes you feel cared for by others? Knowing yourself will empower you to learn about others in the same way. Keep the love languages top of mind in your relationships, putting into practice will indeed help to create the depth of relationship we all strive for.
