How Do You Express Love?
As a marriage counselor in Raleigh, North Carolina, I work with couples and individuals to help them feel more connected, secure, and loved.
Marriage counseling Raleigh NC provides a secure environment for couples who don't know how to express love anymore to work on exploring their emotions and rekindling their connection.
Couples counseling can help you get to a place in your relationship where you love and feel loved again.
Marriage Counseling Raleigh NC: How do You Express Love?
One of the first questions I ask my clients during our individual intake sessions is, "How do you express love to your partner?"
The most typical responses I hear are "I don't know" or "I don't" (express love).
If that's you, that is okay. So many people feel tired, misunderstood, and like they can't do anything to show their partner they love them.
However, it is important to recognize that this might be the source of your marriage problems.
Relationships change over time. There might be some attachment raptures in your marriage that evolved for whatever reason and led you to this point where you don't know how to connect anymore.
Or you simply don't know how to express your love anymore since nothing you do makes your partner happy.
What Does It Take for Someone to Feel Loved?
Different people communicate love differently, favoring one love language over another. For example, you may enjoy physical contact, yet your spouse may feel loved after hearing words like "I love you." You make me happy."
Different love languages represent ways we communicate love and affection.
According to marriage counselor Gary Chapman, there are five ways of expressing and receiving love. They involve:
· Words of affirmation
· Physical touch
· Quality time
· Gift giving
· Acts of service
Relationship problems can arise due to couples' conflicting ways of showing and accepting affection. If you express your feelings in ways your spouse does not understand or prefer, they may miss your love signals.
How to Learn to Express Love Again
· Seek Marriage Counseling
Marriage counseling Raleigh NC may be a secure place to learn to identify your and your partner's love languages, better understand each other, maintain closeness and intimacy, and rediscover your ability to express your love.
· Try Journaling
Journaling can be a great way to reflect on how you give and receive love. So, devote a few minutes of your day to thinking and writing about how you express love and how you love to be loved.
You may prefer "acts of service" to express love, for example. You pay bills, provide for the family, or do things to relieve your partner's burden of daily chores (e.g., taking the kids to activities, doing the cleaning, etc.). You might think, "that is how I show love," but if we are talking about emotional stuff, that might not be enough.
If the language of "acts of service" does not resonate with your partner, your marriage will suffer.
A deep, meaningful, and passionate relationship with your partner simply requires more. So, spend ten minutes today answering these questions:
· "How do I express love to my partner?" and
· "How do I need to be loved? What does my partner need to do? "
Get reflective first, and then, if that feels appropriate and you feel like you're in a good place, share it with your partner and see what happens.
Summary
People express and receive love in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, sometimes we lose touch with our spouses and forget how to express our feelings.
Thinking about how you prefer to receive and offer love might help you ignite passion and love in your marriage.
I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions or want to schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation with me, click here or check out the FAQs to learn more.
This is not your typical weekly kind of therapy. I am here to help couples and individuals in relationships do what is proven to work to help them heal their relationships. Through marriage counseling Raleigh NC, marriage retreat in North Carolina, online therapy North Carolina, and individual counseling, there is something for every couple who wants to heal their relationship.
Stop wasting years of your precious life trying to feel happy. Schedule your free 15-minute consultation with me today by clicking here. During the call, you will discover how having a place to heal your relationship with a guide can take you from the hurt to a healthier relationship than the one you grew up with.
