Love and Tell
How do people show their love to one another? Often, it is an act such as going out to dinner or buying a present. This is an important way of showing love as are other non-verbal means such as hugging, kissing and listening attentively, although over time it can come to substitute for words. That is, people neglect to tell each other, "l love you". Reaffirming your love through words is an important way to directly express how you feel about one another. This may not be as easy as it sounds. It requires awareness and a sense of timing. It requires a willingness to be vulnerable to the possibility that the feeling will not be reciprocated. A January 2009 study confirms that verbal and non-verbal means of expressing love are effective in reducing stress. Lower levels of stress hormones were observed in people who reported higher levels of both verbal (i.e., stating "I love you") and non-verbal affectionate communication.
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Poetry is another way to convey love through language. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, here is a poem from Dante Gabriel Rossetti:
Nuptial Sleep
At length their long kiss severed, with sweet smart: And as the last slow sudden drops are shed From sparkling eaves when all the storm has fled, So singly flagged the pulses of each heart. Their bosoms sundered, with the opening start Of married flowers to either side outspread From the knit stem; yet still their mouths, burnt red, Fawned on each other where they lay apart.
Sleep sank them lower than the tide of dreams, And their dreams watched them sink, and slid away. Slowly their souls swam up again, through gleams Of watered light and dull drowned waifs of day; Till from some wonder of new woods and streams He woke, and wondered more: for there she lay.
Do you regularly tell your spouse you love them? If not, what obstacles are preventing you from doing so? Tell us your experience. Leave us a comment!
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