There are plenty of ways to show someone that you love them, but unfortunately in today’s society it often involves money. You don’t need to take someone to a nice dinner, spoil them with the latest fads, or even go out to a movie every week to show someone love— there are plenty of other ways!
1) Ask
Ask them how their day was, ask them what they think of your outfit, ask them if they saw the latest Saturday Night Live. You have to ask questions if you want to continue learning about someone, and if you love them you’ll never know enough about them!
2) Then listen
There isn’t much point in asking questions if you aren’t ready to soak in the response. This is honestly the single most undervalued skill that we have! Being listened to is really just a basic need that we all need in order to feel loved or even understood. Just make a point to actively engage and listen when a loved one is trying to tell you something!
3) Small gestures— they add up
Small gestures are an easy way to show someone you care about them. Share some candy with your kids, bring your spouse coffee in bed, frame a picture of you and a friend. Grand gestures are not really needed, your loved one would be happy just to know that you were thinking of them!
4) Encourage them
Encouraging someone might take a little more thought, as we all aren’t naturally supportive of everything, but it’s a really effective way to show someone that you care. Try to put any selfish motives aside and just be
supportive— if your son wants to go to school across the country and that’s the best thing for him, be supportive. If your spouse needs to move to receive a promotion, figure out if it’s worth it. Let them pursue their dreams!
5) Share a skill
If there is something that you love to do, like play the guitar, you should try to share that skill with your friend or loved one! It will show them that you care enough to put time and effort into teaching them something, and the end result is a new activity that you can do together! Just make sure you’re being patient with them, as they are trying to learn a skill that you love.
6) Keep them company
Sometimes you don’t even have to be doing anything, it’s nice just to have company and not be alone. This goes beyond sitting around at home, though— run to the grocery store with your wife even though it isn’t your favorite errand, take a look at your work while you’re kids are doing their homework at the kitchen table, just be there!
7) Trust them
We all know trust is a key ingredient to love. By not questioning the people in your life and openly trusting them to make the right decisions, they’ll understand that you think highly of them— enough so that they earned your trust. Trust your partner with your secrets, trust your children with your own childhood stories, just make sure they know that you have faith in them!
8) Let them be apart of your life
Introducing someone to all your friends and family can be a little overwhelming to the person, but it’s a great way to show them that you’re proud that they are in your life. Keeping your life open and not closing parts of it off help show people just how much you care about them!
I’m not saying that you should never spend money on other people, that is fine! But it should never be your go-to method to show someone that you love them. People are typically happy to know that you are thinking about them, that you cherish them, and that you trust them— so put the credit card down, and try one of these ways to make them feel the love!