Whether you’ve been dating for a few months or a few years, when you’ve found the person that you’re supposed to be with, you feel it. But sometimes our heads can get in the way of letting our hearts tell us what they have to say. If you’ve been thinking too much about your relationship or your S.O. to actually figure out how you feel about whether they’re “The One,” it’s time to stop thinking and start feeling.
Take a second to read through this list of signs the person your dating is the person you’re meant to be with—if it makes you smile and want to share it with your S.O., you’ve got your answer! Here are 16 signs that the person you’re dating is the the person you’re meant to be with.
1. You can be 100 percent yourself around them.
You don’t have to force a smile or a laugh—you’re the same person with them as you are when you’re alone. You can be your weird self, do whatever you want to do, say whatever you want to say and not feel self-conscious at all.
2. They’re there for your ups and your downs.
Usually, we don’t want most people to see us at our most vulnerable, like after a failure or a rejection. But if you fail a test, don’t get the internship you applied for, or experience any other kind of hardship, you know you can go to them and they’ll be there to help you get through it.
3. You can confide in them.
You tell them things that you wouldn’t feel comfortable telling almost anybody else—even things that you’re ashamed or scared of. You know they’ll never tell anyone, and you’re confident that they won’t judge you no matter what you say.
4. They’re part of your plan.
When you think about your five-year plan, from what you’ll be doing to where you’ll be living, they’re there. You can’t imagine your future without them in it—and they feel the same way about you.
5. You laugh at the same things.
Sharing a sense of humor is so important! The two of you find the same things hilarious, and you almost always laugh at each other’s jokes.
6. You fight well.
You’re not afraid to fight. You know that every couple disagrees from time to time, and you know that every fight will end in resolution, not a breakup. You don’t dismiss one another’s point of view when you’re fighting—you actually listen to what the other person has to say instead of waiting for your turn to respond. Even if it means you end up agreeing to disagree, you never go to bed angry. You’ve both mastered the art of apologizing and the art of forgiving, and you don’t hold grudges or “keep score” when it comes to arguments.
7. You share important interests.
Whatever it is that is important to you—an interest in traveling, a love of the outdoors, an active lifestyle, taste in TV shows—they share, or at least respect and can take part in, that interest. The two of you love a lot of the same things, which makes hanging out together easy and enjoyable.
8. You’re attracted to them. (Duh.)
They are still as handsome/gorgeous/sexy/beautiful/all around attractive to you as the day you met them. Whether they’re conventionally good-looking or not, they’re exactly your type. Sometimes even just looking at their adorable smile makes you want to make out with their face—if not more.
9. You actually play and have fun together…
Whether you play sports, video games, board games or games you came up with yourselves, you two have a ball together doing fun things that genuinely entertain you. You’d rather find something interesting and playful to do than to just go out on the same dinner-and-a-movie date a thousand times. Even if other people don’t think the things you do together are fun, the two of you do, and that’s all that matters.
10. …but you don’t have to be doing something all the time.
Though you two definitely know how to have fun together, you also don’t always need to be doing something to enjoy each other’s company. You don’t feel any pressure to go out on dates when you’re together—you can sit around doing your own things, from homework to reading to whatever else, and that doesn’t bother either of you. Silences between you are totally comfortable. You just like being together, even if you’re not doing anything at all.
11. You don’t feel the need to dress up for them.
Maybe in the beginning of your relationship, you used to put on makeup and do your hair before hanging out with them. But at this point, you’re comfortable showing up with no makeup on and your hair up in a sloppy bun. They’ve seen it all—zits, bags under your eyes, terrible haircuts, ratty old t-shirts, you name it—and they still love you. You know you don’t need to impress them, so you’re comfortable around them no matter what you look like.
12. You aren’t afraid to call each other out if you need to.
Sometimes you need someone to call you on your crap. Whether you swore you’d go to the gym every day this week and haven’t gone once, or you’ve been moping around since you got rejected from that internship you wanted instead of putting your energy toward finding another opportunity, it’s important to have a person in your life that you can trust to tell you when you need to get it together. If they’re doing something uncool, you know that you can call them on it and they will understand that you’re just trying to help, and vice versa.
13. They love you as you are, but they also make you better.
Of course they think you’re amazing just the way you are—but they also know that you have goals and dreams, and they’re rooting for you to achieve them. They encourage you to be your best self! They believe in you and they know that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Though they would never try to fundamentally change you in any way, they’re always there to cheer you on and help you become the you that you want to be.
14. You have your own lives.
Though the two of you certainly share plenty of friends and spend a good amount of time together, you both also have your own lives, which include your own interests, activities and circles. They can go off with their friends and you can go off with your friends, and neither of you will feel jealous or awkward about that. You both have your “together” stuff, and you each have your “separate” stuff, which helps you strike a balance between being your own person and being a part of a strong, healthy relationship.
15. You don’t need them, but you want them.
Sometimes, people in relationships can become totally dependent on one another. But not you two! As much as you love them, want them around, and miss them when they’re gone, you don’t need them. You are both strong enough independently that you don’t need one another. That’s what makes your love (and how much you want each other) so special! It’s not as though you can’t live without them—you just choose not to.
16. They make you feel safe, happy and loved.
Enough said.