When it comes to matters of the heart, unconditional love is the most sought-after. We all want it. But how do you know if you’ve felt it before?
This type of love is unlike any other. You can have it with friends, family, and a romantic partner. However, unconditional love can be tricky to spot if you don’t know what to look for. And ultimately, it’s what you should have an abundance of if you want to live happily.
But it’s not all that easy to know when you have it. This type of love isn’t the kind that fills your stomach with butterflies. Usually, it’s invisible and you won’t know it’s there until something major happens in your life.
All the different types of love
Yes, there are a lot of different types of love out there. You can have romantic love, sibling love, friendly love, and the love you have for those you were once in romantic love with. This can all be a little confusing but chances are, you’ve felt each of these types before.
And unconditional love definitely makes the list, too. The point is, there isn’t just a single form of love and you either have it or you don’t. Every single person has at least one type of love in their life. [Read: The 10 types of love you’ll experience in your life]
How to know if you’ve felt unconditional love and the traces it leaves behind
If you really want to know what unconditional love is, look no further. Here are all the different ways you can tell if you’ve felt unconditional love and what qualities to look for to make sure it’s this type of love.
#1 You feel loved. This may seem obvious, but hear me out. When someone loves you unconditionally, you’ll just feel it. You don’t need them to tell you how much they care about you. You’ll already know.
Loving unconditionally has a lot to do with actions more so than what someone tells you. Therefore, if you are feeling loved and cared about just by the actions of someone else, it’s probably unconditional love.
#2 You feel respected. Respect is a major part of unconditional love. When someone not only loves you deeply but also respects you to no end, that’s the real love. That’s what you want out of love and that’s exactly what unconditional love is. It’s a deep respect for someone in addition to the complex feeling of love. If the person in your life who loves you also respects the hell out of you, then it’s unconditional. [Read: 14 ways to respect yourself and know your self-worth]
#3 You never feel judged. A lack of judgment is easily one of the biggest things that indicates unconditional love. If you think you’re in love and that your partner loves you unconditionally but you still feel as though you’re being judged whenever you talk about something a little different, it’s not unconditional love.
You should never feel judged, not if you’re loved unconditionally. That’s what it means. Someone loves you no matter the conditions. They don’t judge what you do or the things you like.
#4 You can be vulnerable easily. This has a lot to do with not being judged, too. Because you’re not judged, you can easily let your guard down and be vulnerable. You never really feel like hiding how you feel. If you need to break down, you can break down.
You know it’s unconditional love when someone is there to support you and they understand everyone needs moments to be vulnerable. They respect your vulnerability instead of being turned off by it. [Read: 13 signs that prove someone is emotionally mature]
#5 You never question a person’s love for you. If you want to know what unconditional love is, it’s not questioning whether or not someone loves you. There’s no doubt in your mind that they do. You’ll never feel compelled to ask them if they love you unconditionally. They’ll simply be able to show you that they do.
#6 You can fully be yourself. Since there’s no judgment coming from the person that loves you, you can be completely yourself. You never feel the need to hide certain qualities or quirks from the person.
Since they love you unconditionally, you know that, no matter what, they’ll still love you at the end of the day, no matter how weird you are. That feeling is what unconditional love is. [Read: How to be comfortable with being yourself]
#7 You feel an immense level of comfort. If you’ve ever felt so comfortable with someone that it’s like they’re an extended part of you, that’s unconditional love. You get this really deep seeded feeling of relaxation and comfort whenever they’re around.
It’s like they’re solely responsible for bringing you this level of comfort. This is a big sign of unconditional love because you get to relax into their love. You’re not worried, you’re not judged, you’re just loved.
#8 Your trust is super solid. Basically, you just don’t have trust issues. Unconditional love is by far the strongest. When you have it, there’s never any trust issues between two people. The love your partner gives you and shows you is beyond enough to make you feel secure in your relationship. [Read: 10 signs the person you’re with deserves your trust]
#9 You know if you mess up, you’ll be forgiven. Obviously, this comes with some wiggle room. If you cheat on someone, you have to know that you may never be forgiven even if they do love you unconditionally. They can still love you and leave you.
However, you know that forgiveness is a major part of your relationship. If you make a mistake, you can get through it and be forgiven because they’ll love you no matter what.
#10 You have and recognize flaws but they don’t seem to matter. We’re all flawed. No one is perfect. That being said, you know it’s unconditional love when those things just don’t really matter. The flaws are known and recognized but they don’t make a difference in how someone feels about you.
#11 You can show your fears freely. Since you know you won’t be judged and you can actually allow yourself to be vulnerable, you can also show them your fears. You can go to them with your fears without feeling as though they’re going to think you’re stupid for them. In fact, you know they’ll only see you as stronger for having faced them. [Read: 9 ways to overcome the fear of losing someone you love]
#12 Sometimes it boggles your mind how much someone cares for you. This is really the biggest feeling of unconditional love. Sometimes we just can’t believe someone cares about us that much. We feel so loved and respected that it seems like a miracle.
That’s what unconditional love is, that’s how strong it is. Sometimes it can feel crazy how much someone can truly love you because loving unconditionally is extensive.
[Read: 15 ways real love sets itself apart from the rest]
If you’ve felt all of the above things, then you know what unconditional love feels like. Someone who loves you in every way no matter what is someone who loves you unconditionally.