How To Go Beyond the 5 Love Languages
Are you great at giving gifts but falter when someone pays you a compliment? Maybe spending time with a friend is easy for you, but when it comes time to hug goodbye it just feels awkward? We’ve all been there: we want to be able to show someone we love them, but sometimes, we don’t know how.
Some people are tough to love, and others don’t really make us feel loved. The famous Five Love Languages suggest that everyone means well, but just speaks in different love languages. It’s great to know how we uniquely feel and express love, but what if we told you that knowing your love language isn’t the end goal? If we are to grow in love, shouldn’t we be good at giving gifts, spending quality time together, using loving words and touches and serving each other? What if you could learn to love anyone, in any way? Think about how that might change the world around you. Becoming a multilingual giver of love might open your eyes to new ways of seeing people. Are you ready to take on that quest?
Your Go-To Expressions of Love
Receiving love in ways we don’t usually give it can be like hearing a foreign language—it doesn’t translate, it sounds like gibberish, and we tune it out! But the more we try to speak the language, the more it begins to be understandable. By practicing other love languages—giving of ourselves from a place of love in different ways—we can better give and receive love in its rainbow of forms. Expanding our go-to expressions of love is a great place to begin stretching our capacity to be great givers and receivers of love.
-Think gifts are shallow? Try giving one to your mom or dad and learn the effort it takes to come up with a meaningful one!
-Helping others comes naturally for you. Whether you are in need of it or not, ask for a helping hand on your next home improvement project and learn to be a great receiver of love.
-Can’t take what you dish out? Next time someone says, “Wow you smell great!” Stop, look them in the eye, smile and say, “Thank you!” That simple acceptance can make people so happy.
-Feel like that goodbye hug lasted ten seconds too long? Go with it! Tighten your grip and squeeze the love out of that hug!
-Adults need breaks too! Take it as a sign the next time your kids interrupt your busy evening that the universe is telling you, time spent with family, is always time well spent.
-Sometimes words speak louder than actions. Don’t hesitate; next time you sense someone is in need, say hello, ask if they are okay, just say anything.
-Long day? Just want to sleep? But you get home and notice the dishes aren’t done, everyone is already asleep, and the dog needs to be taken out? Your brain is your enemy. Don’t think, just do. Foregoing your own needs to pick up the slack always puts a smile on everyone’s face.