Defining exactly what love means is like trying to explain where rain comes from to a gold fish. We just don’t have the right perspective to understand it entirely.
Take a minute to digest that. I’ll wait.
I know the difference between romantic love and platonic love. I understand that these are different kinds of love, different ways to love and that love can shift, morph, and transform — sometimes slowly, like ice melting, or rapidly, like a flash of lightning.
The craziest part is, you can love multiple people so completely and fully but in totally unique ways. For example, my maid of honor at my future wedding is probably going to be a guy, who, for all intents and purposes, was the first love of my life. He’s my best friend and has grown with me in a way only someone who has been around me since day one could. I’d be lost without him.
Then, there’s my partner, who will be the groom — you know, if all goes well. I can’t wait to spend my life with that person Both must be standing next to me on my wedding day. And both are the loves of my life. Here’s the difference, though: One is platonic love, and one is romantic love.
Embracing Conflict Vs. Reaching Compromise
When you love someone platonically, there may be little fear of conflict. Fighting can feel lower stakes. Maybe the fight lasts a day, maybe it lasts a month, but you can always find your way back to one another because you love each other, and you spent that time apart growing.
When you love someone romantically, compromise is crucial to your relationship. It matters that you make the other person happy. In fact, you are happier making each other happy. Fighting is healthy, but all conflicts leave to open and honest communication. Otherwise, unresolved negativity can grow toxic or burdening.
“When having an actual argument, the object is to express yourselves, be heard, and to learn what needs are not being met so that you can resolve your conflict in a way where both of you feel heard and understood,” Dr. Gary Brown, a prominent couples therapist in Los Angeles, previously told Elite Daily.” When reaching a compromise with your romantic love, communication is king.
Being Honest Vs. Being Considerate
Being considerate doesn’t mean sugarcoating things or lying to your partner. When you love someone romantically, you’ll take their feelings into consideration. If you have something hard to tell them, you can really think about the best way to deliver that message, or you might tailor your message to their emotional needs or patterns.
“Talk, talk, talk with each other,” Dr. Fran Walfish, Beverly Hills-based family and relationship psychotherapist, author of The Self-Aware Parent, regular expert child psychologist on The Doctors and co-star on Sex Box, previously told Elite Daily. “Taking turns listening and talking with each other is the seed that grows passion in relationships. Each one of us wants the same thing: to be seen, acknowledged, validated, loved, and accepted — flaws and all.”
When you love someone platonically, however, you may feel more inclined to give it to them straight. Being extremely honest with them may outweigh sparing their emotions, and moreover, you know you’ll be there for them to lean on. Read More