Maintaining a relationship in this day and age is not easy. With the constant presence of temptations, social media and college nightlife, trust is rarely apparent and never guaranteed. You have heard it all before -- texting our deepest confessions and most intimate feelings, rather than simply saying them, has displaced us emotionally. We are a generation of simplified emojis and abbreviated, “I love you," ultimately too lazy and intimidated to hear our feelings spoken out loud rather than sent through an iMessage.  

Although not entirely the result of the advancement of technology, we have become a population of emotionally distant individuals. As effortless as it may be for us to type how we feel, we are not always as capable of showing it. This is when we, as individuals, begin to question ourselves. “Am I needy, or is something just missing in my relationship?”  

The answer is not as black-and-white as we would hope, but does suggest a common theme amongst each and every type of relationship there is. As human beings, love is not only an inundation of emotions, but a scientifically proven innate physical drive as powerful as hunger. As much as we crave companionship, we desire an assurance of this companionship. We need proof. Thus, when we see, “I love you,” texted on our phone screens, but don’t feel loved standing face-to-face, a subconscious worry begins to build at the pit of our stomachs. We question how genuine this love may be, all because there is a lack of reassurance in our relationship.  

I am not saying affection needs to become overbearing. In fact, overbearing affection may be the worst possible response to what we need. That’s right. I am thinking of my high school PDA couple who need to show much, much less affection. Rather, an assurance of affection comes from a genuine place of simply wanting to remind your significant other that, “no, you aren’t crazy,” and “yes, I do feel the same.” These reminders are subtle, but imperative guarantees of affection. Without them, the words of admiration sent via text message late at night become empty, somewhat meaningless confessions. They don’t resonate the same as they would with a little affection, here and there.   

Our standards and expectations of our own love lives are in constant competition with blockbusters and Netflix series, making them seem somewhat impossible to keep up with. However, genuine reminders to fulfill the meanings of what we say go a much longer way than we perceive.

Overall, I suggest acting upon how you feel and proving what you confess and say, but remembering the fine line separating reassurance of affection and PDA. A little kiss on the forehead goes quite a long way.