6 Subtle Signs Someone Is Ready To Love You The Way You Deserve To Be Loved, According To A Mental Health Therapist
Choosing to trust someone with your heart is scary, but these signs make it less so.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock Opening up your heart to someone can be scary and it would be a lot easier if there was a checklist to make sure you're choosing to trust the right person.
While no such magical list exists, there are signs you can look for that will show you someone is ready to love you the way you deserve to be loved.
Therapist Shaurya Gahlawat shared six signs you can look for from psychologist Kavya Shrivastav in an Instagram post.
Here are 6 signs someone is ready to love you the way you deserve to be loved:
1. They ‘embrace imperfection’
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No one is perfect, and you shouldn't hold anyone to that impossible standard, especially the person you love. A healthy partner, Shrivastav said, will stick with you through the ups and downs, no matter what life brings.
Writing for Psychology Today, Tamar Chansky said, “Instead of perfect love, which requires you to skip the parts that you don’t like, go for true love. Think of true love as more love. It’s what you get when you mix it all in: the good, the great, and the less-good and great.”
Imperfection isn’t glamorous, and it’s often not what we picture when we think of love. But it’s a reality of life. Accepting it means you are ready for more.
2. They ‘embrace trust and honesty’
“Trust is a cornerstone of any strong relationship,” Shrivastav said. It’s true — you can’t have an effective relationship without a healthy dose of trust. It simply wouldn’t be a relationship.
Clinical psychologist Sabrina Romanoff told VeryWell Mind, “To trust means to rely on another person because you feel safe with them and have confidence that they will not hurt or violate you. Trust is the foundation of relationships because it allows you to be vulnerable and open up to the person without having to defensively protect yourself.”
If you can’t trust someone, how can you love them? Someone who fully trusts you is ready to love you and give you the kind of relationship you deserve.
3. They ‘don’t avoid difficult topics’
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Disagreements are unavoidable, Shrivastav pointed out. However, dancing around the things that caused those disagreements is not how you build a strong relationship.
“When it comes to difficult conversations, the intuition might be to skip them. Yet, by not speaking up, problems often compound each other, damaging vital relationships,” Jennifer Gerlach, a social worker, wrote for Psychology Today.
Someone who truly loves you won’t be afraid to bring up — and, more importantly, work through — the hard stuff.
4. They ‘focus on your strengths as a couple’
“Healthy partners are committed to personal and relationship growth,” Shrivastav insisted.
Research shows that we are more satisfied with our partners when we idealize them and focus on their strengths, as they will often work to meet that ideal. Conversely, focusing on weaknesses and failures gets you nowhere.
If someone really loves you, they will want you to be the best version of yourself — for you, and for the relationship.
5. They ‘are emotionally available’
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Someone who will love you the way you deserve will always be there for you. Shrivastav said, “Healthy partners offer empathy, comfort, and encouragement, especially during challenging times.” This means that the person is present and supportive.
Joel Frank, clinical psychologist and owner of Duality Psychological Services told VeryWell Mind, “To say a person is emotionally available means being present in a way that goes beyond physical proximity. It’s about being open to truly understand, empathize, and reciprocate the emotions of others.”
If someone is emotionally available, there’s no doubt they will love you well.
6. They respect you and your autonomy
Being in a relationship doesn’t mean you forfeit all of your independence — far from it, actually. The right person will recognize that you still need to do some things on your own, and that’s OK.
The Gottman Institute noted that it’s important to still remain yourself while also recognizing the need for someone else in your life.
“Healthy relationships respect individual independence,” Shrivastav declared. It’s as simple as that.
Watching for these signs will help you determine when someone is after your heart for all the right reasons. In a world where it’s scary to trust and hand over your heart, these signs can help you figure out if someone is for real. And, if they are, you’ll likely have a great relationship.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.