Everyone always talks about love languages and their importance in relationships with other people. But have we ever wondered why love languages exist and if they are able to change over time?
Let’s start from the beginning. What exactly are love languages? Everyone has a love language that when met, it fills up our “emotional love tank.” The biggest mistake generation Z makes regarding love languages is only nurturing one love language, when in fact there are, five different love languages:
- Words of Affirmation: Thrive on spoken affection and reminders of appreciation, but harsh words can have a heavy affect.
- Acts of Service: Anything your partner (or friend) does willingly to ease your workload is an act of love to you, but the other hand broken promises or laziness make you feel unimportant.
- Receiving Gifts: A thoughtful gift makes you feel special, it can be a giving gesture like getting your favorite snack after a bad day. Although it occasionally gets a bad rap, this love language is not materialistic. Read more about that here!
- Quality Time: Getting undivided attention is important to you, such as when a partner or friend is off their phone and truly present. Lack of active listening or failure to prioritize one-on-one time can make you feel unloved.
- Physical Touch: Holding hands, a tight hug, or a quick kiss, as well as other forms of touching are your preferred way to show and receive love.
When discovering your love language, it is important to note that the final result of a “love language quiz” may not be your one and only love language. This love language also isn’t glued to you forever! Depending on your current lifestyle and attitudes toward certain social dynamics, your love language may change to accurately reflect what you’re looking for in others. As time goes on, unexpected events find ways into our lives and inevitably change the way we communicate with ourselves and others. Therefore, the love language you once thought was permanent, may be transitioning and morphing into a different one.
Even though we might lean toward one specific language, it’s important to practice all five love languages. They all thrive inside our souls. As humans, we are vastly complicated and constantly changing entities; why wouldn’t our love languages do the same?
How to practice all 5 love languages?
The best way to practice all five love languages is to actively pursue them everyday! Even simple tasks may not seem like love language tasks, but if you look closely, they entail all five of the love languages that you can incorporate throughout your lifestyle to keep discovering parts of you and the people you care about. Whether it be romantic or non romantic relationships. A love language you expect from a partner or friend may not be the same love language you expect from a parent or relative. This is why it is important to practice all five of the love languages to be #lovelanguageaware. Don’t forget to show yourself love as well! Cook yourself that nice meal, buy yourself flowers, make your bed every morning, journal, create that daily skincare routine!