By-Monalisa Gogoi

When you love someone you are suddenly powerfully attracted to someone. The moment when you pass from a state of being friends with a person to loving him in a romantic way is when you fall in love. For some people, that happens once in a lifetime. This happens because our brains and hormones go wild when faced with a sincere love interest. “When we are in the company of the loved one the brain produces more serotonin, which gives a sense of well-being, more endorphins, which are natural pain killers, and more dopamine, which increases pleasure. Relationships should be a safe zone where you’re able to express yourself and also be yourself. If this isn’t the case, you might end up full of insecurities and doubts.

Is any pursuit more worthy? For it, any sacrifice too great? But how do you know if you’re falling in love when you can’t exactly? While the sensations may vary by person and relationship, here are some telltale signs that you are, indeed, falling in love. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

You crave hugs and cuddles instead of sex:
Emotional feelings are now on the go. Hugs and cuddles bring an emotional twist to your relationships and that feels more inviting and calm, instead of indulging in physical intimacy at all times.

Everything reminds you of them:
“He loves croissant”- if the thought crosses your mind every time you go into the bakery shop, then yes, you’re falling in love. Every little thing that you do or any place you go reminds you of their likes and dislikes.

You no longer wait for their text back:
If you don’t count the seconds of when your partner will text back, then it means that you’re confident of them reverting. You don’t have to question their actions anymore.

You start trusting them slowly:
If the thought of trusting your partner no longer seems scary, then you’re slowly developing feelings for them. Also, if you don’t get anxious with the thought that they might hurt you emotionally, then you’re falling in love.

Planning dates is long behind:

Sitting comfortably and having popcorn with each other is a pleasant idea that can seem quite comfortable to you as you both don’t have to constantly worry about picking places for dates.

Being alright with little sacrifices for them:
If you’re cool with taking care of your partner when they’re sick, instead of going to brunch, then you’re slowly habituating towards them. Even amidst your responsibilities, you must feel like doing something for them.

They’re annoying but adorable:
No matter how many lame or bad jokes come to the table, you just can’t get enough of them. If they’re being annoying, you just put up with them not because you have to, but because you want to.

You miss them more:
Even if it’s been a day, ‘a miss you’ is totally alright as with each passing minute, your urge to be with them grows even more. You actually feel heartache if they’re not around and if you miss them way too much.

But what exactly love is? We try so hard to make sense of it, to understand it, to grasp it between our fingertips and hold it in our palms. We want, so desperately, to label it. To box it up. To put it on a shelf that we can easily pull from when we’re ready. To feel comfortable and steady and grounded as we free fall into another person. Actually I think real love is complicated. Real love is messy. Real love is decisions and actions and thoughts and emotions, and continually learning who someone is and how that someone can fit into the chaos of our lives. Love isn’t simply a feeling. It isn’t simply two hands intertwined, or two bodies coming together in lust. Love is actually a challenge. It’s meeting someone who pushes you to be greater, bigger, brighter than you were before. It’s finding someone who you see fighting battles with, and for. It’s discovering that your life was incredibly full before, but falling into them has made it even more complete somehow.