I've been in relationships before, one particular relationship lasted two years. However, I can truly say that I've never been in love.

In today's society, young people associate love with posts on social media or how much money is spent on gifts. When really, none of that means anything.

If you ask me, love is something that has a special meaning. To love someone is to love yourself first. Frankly, I did the exact opposite in my relationships.

I spent so much of my time trying to figure out how to please my boyfriend, without ever taking a step back to make sure I was emotionally happy. Through that, I lost a lot of myself.

To be in love is to complement each other's flaws. To know, that even in your differences, you can still love your partner. No one is perfect. The sooner you figure out that your partner isn't always going to get everything right, the sooner you can be happy.

Love is not a measure of how much someone gives you physically, but how much they grow you emotionally and spiritually. Or how much you grow yourself over the time that you are with them. Being able to better yourself ensures that you can create a healthy environment for yourself and your partner.

Love is also not a measure of how much your partner knows about you. If you are in a serious relationship, I agree there should be trust; however, that does not convey that they have to know every little detail of your life. Sometimes your experiences should be shared, and other times they should just be left for you.

Many people believe that in order to love someone, they have to know everything about them, but I don’t think that’s true. Not to say that you can’t tell your partner everything.

Your partner should be your best friend, but you should also be your own best friend. Keeping a feeling or experience to yourself is like having a quiet place to go to. When you are fighting with your partner, treat yourself to that place. Your place.

Being independent in your relationship is important, you should lean on your partner for emotional and spiritual guidance but be able to know yourself. I believe to be in love you have to know how to be alone.

I do not claim to be an expert on love, but in my experience I’ve learned that you can only rely on someone else so much. To be able to say that you loved yourself before you loved your partner is a big step to take.

Something people often confuse with love, is lust. Knowing that you aren't just being used for your body or what you can give your partner is important. No one should feel like they ever have to give something in order to be loved.

Love is a crazy thing. It is unpredictable. Being in love with someone is something I have never done, but that doesn't stop me from knowing what love is. I am loved and I love. The only difference between "in love" and "love" is that one is way more intimate.

Being intimate with someone physically, emotionally, and spiritually is to be connected. Loving someone for their flaws/strengths, unpredictability/stability, recklessness/carefulness, etc. shows the maturity of a person in a relationship.

I hope to one day be in love with someone who is in love with me, because to truly feel intimate with someone else, I believe, has to be the best feeling in the world.