How To Define Love

For centuries, poets and artists have tried to define love. The difficulty is that love is an emotion that is felt differently by each individual. If you are trying to define love and what it means to you, start with these steps.

1. Start with the framework dictionary definition. In case love is a new concept for you, treat it like any other new word. Dictionary.com offers over twenty definitions for love as a noun including tender emotion, sexual intercourse, like, amorous, affection and benevolence. If you are thinking that love is about romance and emotion, use those definitions as the beginning of your definition.
2. Read about love. Poets, novelists and even historians have been writing about love for centuries. Start with Shakespeare for romantic inspiration. Just remember that couples like Romeo and Juliet tend to share some obsession. Shakespeare’s definition of love includes intense feeling as well as a bit of obsession. Check out some romantic poetry such as poems by Lord Byron or Elizabeth Barrett Browning for additional expressions of love and romance.
3. Practice meditation to get in touch with your feelings. Love is an emotion. In order to define an emotion, you should first feel it. Relax your mind and body so that you aren’t blocking emotions. Practice meditation, then allow feelings to flow free. Be careful with this type of meditation, however, since opening yourself up to emotion also exposes you to your negative feelings.
4. Focus your emotions. How you define love may depend upon whom the love is directed toward. Love is different when focused on your siblings, children, friends or significant other.
5. Choose the definition that works for you. For some, love is an active verb, which means love is something that they do, not some thing they feel. For these people, love is defined by the way they show love, which may be putting food on the table and a roof over their family’s head. For others, love is defined as an overpowering emotion that makes them desperate to be near the object of their love.
6. Communicate what love means to you. Regardless of how you define love, you need to remember that the object of your affection may have a different definition. Share your viewpoint and expectations with the one you love.

There is no clear definition of love. Since love is based upon emotion, it is defined by each individual. Take some time to think and feel the emotion and you will be able to define love.