Did you know that there are five love languages?! When Robbie and I first met, Robbie didn’t know what love languages were. When I explained it to him, he immediately could identify with what his love languages were. The five love languages are: quality time, gifts, physical touch, acts of service and words of affirmations.
I quickly realized that we had very similar views when it came to quality time and physical touch! One thing that we differ in is gifts. Robbie is not a gifts guy so giving him gifts wasn’t going to show him that I love him. However, on the other hand, I love gifts! I can honestly identify with all of these love languages although quality time and physical touch are my number one’s.
So, why is your love language important to know about? And why should you know (and remember) other people’s love languages too?
Because not everyone values the same things with love languages, it’s important to know what people in your life identify with which love language. The love languages that you prefer to receive might not be the ones that you like to give or might not be the ones that you tend to give. This could be true for your partner, family members, or friends too. This leaves room for a lot of miscommunication. You think that you’re showing love (or how much you care) to these important people in your life but they might not be identifying with that love language and therefore, can’t see or feel how much you care. We need to learn how to love people in the way that they prefer to be loved. This means that sometimes it might not be the most natural thing for us to do. But, if that person is important in your life, do you want to make sure that they feel loved.
“I’m not sure what love languages I prefer or what I give. How do I know which love languages I identify with?”
This is a great question! Especially if you’ve never heard about love languages before, you might be a little bit confused as to which you identify with most. The best way to think about it is to rate the five love languages from most important to least important. You might love and appreciate all of them but you’ll most likely have a top one or two. If you’re still unsure, you can take a quiz which will help you identify which love languages you resonate most with. You can take the quiz here.
Love languages are important in everyday relationships (everyone from your spouse to your parents, siblings, and friends) because it can be a huge source of confusion, frustration, and miscommunication if you’re showing someone you love them in a way that you like to receive love but they don’t like to receive love. Next time you’re giving someone a gift, think about which love language resonates most with them. Maybe next time instead of gifting someone a physical gift, you’ll gift them a homemade coupon for an act of service like cleaning their home or making dinner. Maybe you’ll gift them a one-on-one experience they have been wanting or you’ll even write them a card telling them how much you love and appreciate everything they do for you.
I would love to hear about which love language you resonate most with! Let me know on Instagram and send me your gift ideas for your love language!
If you enjoyed reading this and would like more information on home, lifestyle, advice, tips, tricks, and more, follow me on Instagram @Its.Mary.Taylor and on Facebook at Mary Taylor! I can’t wait to see you there!
Signing off,
Mary Taylor <3