how to love someone?
The story
i’m 19 and i feel like i missed the damn memo on how to love someone. everyone around me is falling in love like it’s some biological reflex—like breathing, like blinking. my friends talk about “butterflies” and “sparks” and that shit just sounds made up. i’ve tried dating, i’ve tried hooking up, i’ve even tried just feeling something when someone looks at me a certain way. but nope. nothing. i’m like emotionally flatlined. am i broken? it’s not like i hate people, i just don’t know what it means to love them. it’s frustrating as hell watching others get so swept up in emotions i can’t even relate to. like, how do you know you love someone? what does it even f***ing feel like? 🤷♀️
my friends get all soft over someone texting them “good night” and meanwhile i’m sitting there dissecting the tone and spacing like it’s a damn forensic report. they say love is about connection, chemistry, timing—okay cool, but that’s not a goddamn tutorial. no one tells you how to actually get there. do i fake it until it happens? do i keep swiping through people like i’m scrolling for answers? and don’t tell me “you’ll just know” because that’s useless. i want to feel things, but i can’t manufacture that shit. and then you wonder if it’s asexuality, aromanticism, some kind of emotional dysfunction—but none of it feels like the right diagnosis. i crave something i don’t even understand, something i’ve never had; something maybe i’m not built for.
what if i’m just a highly logical person whose emotional receptors are set to factory default? i analyze behavior, assess compatibility, evaluate risk like a f***ing machine. my brain’s running algorithms and everyone else is writing poetry. i’m sick of pretending like i get it. i want to scream when people say “you’ll find the one” like it’s inevitable. what if i don’t? what if i’m fundamentally incompatible with love? am i supposed to just keep watching everyone else play house while i sit in the audience? 🫠 i want to love, i want to feel, but i can’t fake intimacy, i can’t invent desire; i don’t even know what i’m missing. so yeah—how the hell do you love someone?

Stories in the same category
Points of view
There’s a wide spectrum when it comes to feelings and relationships, and it’s completely valid to evaluate and question the narratives you’ve been presented with. It’s good that you’re analyzing your experience—understanding and acknowledging your feelings, or lack thereof, is a crucial step in any relationship journey... Maybe focusing more on building connections and less on the semantics of being "in love" could help broaden your perspective???! Your way of experiencing things is as valid as anyone else's, and it doesn't necessarily mean you're incompatible with love!!! If you’re open to it, exploring different aspects of affection beyond that stereotypical “head over heels” type of love might shed some light on these questions.
man, I totally get where you're coming from 😩. it really does feel like everyone else got the magical handbook on love, and you're left flipping through blank pages. honestly, it's such a hustle trying to decode all those feelings everyone seems to catch so effortlessly; you're not alone in feeling like it's all just a big charade. you want to feel those butterflies and sparks, but yeah, it's not like you can just order those things online or something.
sometimes I think society just pushes this romantic narrative so hard that when you're not feeling it, you start thinking you're the weird one. but honestly, who’s really got this whole love thing figured out anyway? you're still young, and there's time to find your own version of love, whatever that looks like. don't stress too much about feeling it like everyone else does; maybe your way is different but just as valid. hang in there and focus on what matters to you, and those feelings might just show up when you least expect it. 😅
hey, i get what you're saying, but maybe it ain't all that mysterious. not everyone feels love in the same way or at the same pace. for some, it’s like flipping a switch, but for others, it takes time. i used to think i'd never feel those "sparks" either, but turns out, my version of love just looked different.
maybe instead of overthinking it, just let things happen naturally. sometimes love isn't a lightning bolt; it's more like a slow burn. plus, there's a lot of pressure from society to feel or act a certain way. just focus on your own path and who knows, the feelings might surprise you when you’re not even looking for them. 😊
hey buddy u sound like my older self falling in love is a experience you really can't describe how it feels it's unique for individual perspective but one thing is common u will get to know if you do 😉
honestly, I kinda feel you, but at the same time, I'm not sure it's as black and white as it seems 😬. love isn't always like Shakespeare and roses, and for some of us, it takes a whole lot longer to figure it out. I used to feel pretty lost about love, too, just sitting there trying to decode everything like some kind of human cipher. but sometimes it’s not about over-analyzing every text or gesture; instead, it's about letting things flow and seeing where they lead.
one time, I thought I didn't have the "love gene" either until I realized my version of love is just quieter. instead of butterflies, maybe you'll feel more like a warm cup of tea on a cold day. don't sweat it too much—life isn't all about finding "the one". it's important to just enjoy the ride and make connections that feel genuine to you rather than clinging onto what seems to work for others. love isn't some one-size-fits-all deal, and you might just need time to find what it means to you 😉.
hey, I hear what you're saying, but maybe it’s not as dire as it feels 😅. it seems like you're measuring love by standards that might not align with your own experiences, which can be really frustrating. it's worth remembering that everyone’s emotional blueprint is different; while some may encounter love like a typical positive feedback loop, others navigate a more complex emotional algorithm.
love doesn't always happen like an instant data transfer, where you suddenly know; often, it's a gradual process that builds over time and in unexpected ways. maybe instead of overthinking and running complex diagnostics on your emotions, you could try to let interactions unfold naturally and see if that changes anything. not everyone gets swept off their feet—sometimes it’s a slow, steady climb. and that's okay. keep exploring, and you might discover a version of love that resonates with you in a way you didn't anticipate.
i totally feel you, honestly!!! it's like everyone's in on this love secret, and you're left out. i've been there, questioning if something's just wrong with me. love sometimes feels like a weird myth that only happens to others; all this talk about sparks and butterflies seems so overrated when you can't relate at all. ever felt like you're just logically breaking down every "good night" text like it's some sort of code? same here.
it really makes you wonder if love is even real or just a bunch of clichés everyone's chasing?! you don't need to force it or rush; you're not alone in this confusing space. emotions don't work on a standard timeline. maybe it's about discovering your own version of love, beyond the typical narratives. just keep doing you, and maybe the real feelings will show up when you least expect it. 🤔
hey, i totally get where you're coming from, but maybe it's not as hopeless as it seems. it feels like we gotta have all these "sparks" and "butterflies" for it to be real love, but that's just one version. sometimes love builds slowly, like over time, and not everyone feels it the same way.
there's a lot of pressure to experience emotions like everyone else, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. you might just have a different pace or style. remember, "not all those who wander are lost." 😅 just hang in there and keep doing you—there's no rush.
honestly, it sounds like you're overthinking this whole love thing. not everyone feels these grand "sparks" or "butterflies" right away, and that's perfectly normal. love isn't always like a high-voltage circuit!!! sometimes, it's a gradual process that unfolds over time; don't worry too much about fitting into some preconceived idea of how emotions should work.
when i was younger, i also thought i was missing something because I didn't feel what others described. eventually, i realized my emotional processing is just different, not defective. instead of stressing about it, focus on meaningful interactions and let your own version of love develop naturally. you're not as broken as you think—maybe you just need time to find your own path. 😊