We all know that being in love is one of the very best feelings in the world. When we fall in love, we often believe that our in-love feelings are going to last forever.
In my counseling practice, I’ve worked with countless people who believed that, this time, the love would last.
Take Benjamin, for example. Benjamin had been married for 22 years when he decided to divorce his wife. He was tired of not feeling connected and intimate with her. He experienced her as closed and resistant, and he wanted a relationship with an open woman.
Soon after the divorce, Benjamin met Rachel at the home of a friend. They connected immediately. Benjamin called me, ecstatic. “I know it’s really early in this relationship — we’ve only known each other a couple of weeks, but I think I’m in love. It feels so good to be with an open and caring woman.”
“Benjamin, please take your time. You are just out of a long marriage and you have barely settled into your new life. It really does take time to know someone. I’m glad you and Rachel are enjoying your time with each other, but please don’t rush into anything.”
I knew this was likely to fall on deaf ears. I’ve seen it so many times.
Two months after meeting, the bloom was off the rose.
“Rachel runs away when she is upset. It’s frustrating to me to not be able to work things out with her. And she doesn’t take good care of herself in a lot of ways. She takes care of everyone but herself.”
Benjamin very much wanted to be in love, but he had not made the choices that would lead to lasting love.
Five Choices to Help You Stay in Love
1. Learn to love yourself
Do the inner work you need to do to be happy on your own. If you are abandoning yourself by not taking responsibility for your feelings, judging yourself, turning to various addictions, or making someone else responsible for making you feel full, loved, safe and adequate, you will meet someone who is also abandoning themselves in various ways. We meet each other at our common level of self-abandonment or health, so do the work you need to do to feel happy, peaceful and full of love inside. You don’t need to be fully healed, as much healing can take place within a relationship, but you do need to know how to love yourself so you can share your love with others.
2. Take it slow
One of the major mistakes that many people make is moving too fast — including having sex too early. For a sexual relationship to be deeply satisfying on the physical as well as on the emotional level, there needs to be deep caring and connection. Early “in-love” feelings are often nothing more than infatuation, as truly being in love happens over time — if it is going to happen. If someone is rushing you into a relationship, be very cautious.
Read more: Margaret Paul PhD, Huffington Post
