“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” — David Viscott
Love, oh you sweet thing! Such a magical word love is, isn’t it? It’s a feeling that makes our hearts go racing, and our smiles stretch wide. But, have you ever wondered why love is more than just a warm experience? Why is love such a powerful weapon? Well, whether you’ve loved or felt loved, this feeling is more than just something that gives us butterflies in the stomach.
Powerful emotions like love don’t just refer to romantic feelings, but also to platonic ones and familial ones. Some people adore the feeling of love while others find love-like feelings troublesome. No matter what kind of love you experience, it’s a powerful feeling that can be good for our relationships as well as our overall well-being.
So, buckle up as we take a wild ride into this journey of love and explore the wonders and not-so-secret power love can have in our lives!
What is Healthy Love?
Before we go deeper into understanding why love is so powerful, let’s first understand what healthy love is. Healthy love is not about flowers, chocolates, and all those heart-shaped candies. When I talk about healthy love, I talk about something that goes beyond materialistic expressions of love.
Healthy love is an experience that is built on the foundation of respect, trust, and open communication. It’s a well-balanced diet for your soul! When you experience healthy love, you don’t try to change yourself to fit others’ lives; it’s about how well you and your loved one grow into your relationship and how well you accept and embrace each other’s flaws.
The Benefits of Healthy Love
Now that you know what is healthy love, let’s talk about the benefits of healthy love and what all love can bring into our lives;
Love can fill our hearts – and by extension, our lives – with happiness. When you love – whether it’s self-love, loving others, or being loved – you invite positive vibes that are here to stay.
Love is your emotional life support as well. It helps you stay afloat when there are emotional storms. Knowing that someone you love is beside you and has your back can make you feel happy and supported.
Believe it or not, love is a powerful weapon when it comes to protecting your health. Did you know that experiencing love can reduce stress levels, lower the risk of heart disease, and even increase longevity? Experiencing love can release oxytocin, one of the happy hormones, in your brain, making you feel happy and positive.
When you love yourself, love others, or are being loved by others it can increase your confidence and make you believe in yourself a little more. Love can act like your personal cheerleader group!
Healthy love can also mean that you always have a handy support system. Love can lift your spirits, celebrate your accomplishments, and chase away your stress.
9 Reasons Love Is Powerful and Good for Us
Now that you know the many benefits of loving and being loved, let’s talk about the not-so-secret power of love and why love can be good for us;
1.It Helps Defeat Loneliness
Love is your personal superhero who can help defeat the main villain of our lives – loneliness. When you feel lonely, love comes around wearing the cape of goodness to banish the feelings of loneliness. It’s there to always remind you that you are not alone in fighting feelings of despair, isolation, and loneliness.
2.It Helps Ease Emotional Pain
“Love heals all wounds” It’s indeed true that emotional wounds can hurt as much as physical aches and wounds and like a bandage can help heal physical wounds, love can act as the invisible bandage that can help heal emotional pain. It’s a soothing balm for your heart.
3.It Helps Us Grow
Love also helps you gain personal growth. When you’re in a healthy and loving relationship, you’re more likely to grow and become a better version of yourself. Love can encourage you to be the best you can be. This stands correct for self-love, loving others, and being loved. When love is in the equation, you want to be the best version of yourself – for either yourself or for the one who loves you.
4.It Motivates Us
Love can be your motivation as well. When you do something for someone you love, you do things with determination and energy that can keep you going, no matter what comes your way. It’s what encourages you to try new things for the one you love, motivates you to step out of your comfort zone, and allows you to embrace new hobbies you never thought to give a try.
5.It Helps Us Accept Ourselves
When you’re in love, you tend to accept others as they are. When you love yourself, you extend the same courtesy to yourself aka self-acceptance. Self-love and self-acceptance can go hand in hand. If you believe that you can be loved, then you can also accept that the love you receive is genuine.
6.It Inspires Creativity
Healthy love can also inspire creativity within yourself. All the famous writers and poets were once inspired by love too. You might have also seen people drawing, painting, and creating pieces inspired by love – self-love, loving others, and even being loved by others. Love can motivate you to look within for your creative side and express your feelings through more creative mediums.
7.It Helps Increase Resilience
“To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.” — Lao Tzu
Just like this saying, love can give you the strength to endure hardships. If you are going through hardships, then being loved or being in love can make you stronger and feel supported. Because of love, you might want to persevere and come back stronger to be a strength to the ones you love.
8.It Helps Lower Anxiety And Depression
Yes, love can also help you lower anxiety and depression. In a study, it was found that experiencing love can make you feel that you have a support system that can give you a sense of safety and security, making you feel less anxious and alone. Love, as I mentioned above, can release oxytocin, a hormone that can help reduce blood pressure and stress.
9.It Makes You Happy
On the topic of oxytocin, the “love hormone”, let’s talk about how love can make you feel happy. Early stages of love can also release dopamine, your happy hormone that can make you feel excited and energetic. With time, love can become the source of positivity in your life – and I’m not just talking about romantic love here. You may feel optimistic about things with love in your life.
Love Is Truly Powerful…
So, that’s it! Love, in all its warm and fuzzy glory, can be a powerful weapon of kindness and goodness. It’s a power that can change your life, add happiness to the mix, and make you work to become a better version of yourself. Healthy love, like it or not, is an experience worth cherishing.
So, my friend, go ahead and love! Accept love and who knows what exciting adventures await you in your journey!
I hope this article helped you understand why love is powerful and how love can be good for us. Let me know what you think about love being the most powerful weapon in our lives in the comments below!
Take Care and Keep Loving!
The post Healthy Love: Exploring The Not-So-Secret Power Of Love In Life appeared first on Calm Sage – Your Guide to Mental and Emotional Well-being.