To be loved and be in love is one of the sweetest feelings in the world. It leaves this tiny tingling feeling that warms the heart and brings peace to the soul and spirit. And if you have ever tasted what it means to love and be loved, you’d agree with me that there’s a phenomenon called love addiction, thankfully, there’s how to overcome love addiction and stay emotionally stable.
Now, Love Addiction has been brought to the fore because of its complexity and how it affects behaviour in general. Love in itself is good, but addictive love is problematic just like drugs, alcohol, masturbation, etc. This publication seeks to demystify the causes of love addiction, overcome it, and the warning signs.
Causes of Love Addiction
For anyone that sets out to love genuinely, they can become addicted to love.`However, upbringing or the training of a person accounts for why they can be addicted to love or not. According to research, people who exhibit love addiction come from homes with less intimacy and affection. They are psychologically affected by the demeanour of their parent and their curiosity as to what they can expect from an intimate relationship is stirred.
It is quite possible that love addicts experienced tumultuous childhood which accounts for why they have a misguided understanding of the relationships of adults. Also, people with a history of mental health issues may not thrive in healthy relationships.
Signs of Love Addiction
Wondering if you exhibit love addiction? There are signs you should look out for, and I have elaborated on five of them,
Showing signs of jealousy.
If you show tendencies of being possessive, it is likely that you have a love addiction. This may mean that you are very domineering like telling your partner where they can or cannot go, and the kind of friends they keep. Don’t get me wrong, it is normal to be jealous but it becomes a problem if it turns possessiveness.
Jealousy is toxic in nature and nobody would love to endure this kind of repulsive behaviour. You can keep track of this demeanour and be conscious of it if you want to change it. Check yourself out when you want your partner to only do that which pleases you.
Feeling alone and having low self-esteem.
People who are love addicts have tendencies to feel lonely and unappreciated. They want people or their partners to always make the first move and this can be really damaging to their mental health.
Falling in love too fast.
If after having a good first conversation with the opposite sex, you start catching feelings, you are likely going to be a love addict. Love addiction leaves people very confused about their feelings because they easily fall in love. They have plenty of emotions to throw around.
And one of the problems of this aspect of the lives of love addicts is that they think a prospective partner shares the same feelings with them. They fall in love too fast and hard, so in the instance of heartbreak, they feel it more.
Extreme mood swings.
All types of addiction including love mean the person can lose their sense of control. And if you lose your sense of control, your emotions get the better of you and affect your overall mood. This is how love addicts behave.
They can be extremely happy this minute and the next, they act like they are depressed. So, it’s highs and lows for them.
Moving from relationship to relationship.
Just like they easily fall in and out of love, they have tendencies to jump from one relationship to the other. People suffering from love addiction exhibit signs of being obsessed and then they are back up after the whole frenzy.
To put it succinctly, if you easily get tired of relationships because there are no longer highlights, you are a love addict. You may just find yourself chasing high emotions and whoever comes into your life is measured with the last person you dated.
Losing your identity.
Do you rely on validation to improve your self-esteem or do you feel good even when you don’t lose yourself? if the former is you, it is possible that you suffering from love addiction.
You have to be yourself when you’re in love else that type of relationship would not last long because it may seem you’re out to satisfy your partner at all costs.
How to Overcome Love Addiction
Like all types of addiction, you can also overcome love addiction though it is not as easy as just being said. There are trained therapist that helps people suffering from love addiction to overcome the condition. Note, if you seek help but fail to do the work, you will likely remain unchanged.