In our last post, we discussed the first two love languages: words of affirmation and quality time. In today’s post we will discuss the last three: receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.
Receiving Gifts: Gifts are visual symbols of love, and those symbols have emotional value to the person who receives them. If you are a person whose love language is receiving gifts, you see a gift as an expression of love, and without gifts as the visual symbols, you may question your partner’s love.
Do you think this is your partner’s love language? Don’t worry–your gifts don’t have to be grandiose in nature or given daily. Your gifts can be purchased, found, or made. It can be as simple as leaving a post-it note for them to find or picking a flower from the front yard.
And sometimes, the best gift you can give your spouse is the gift of your presence.
Acts of service: Cooking a meal, filling up the car, feeding the dog, picking up the kids from school, making the bed, doing the dishes. An act of service shows your partner that you seek to please your spouse by serving him/her and by doing things that you know your partner wants you to do.
Physical touch: Many people think that physical touch means sex, but it shouldn’t be limited to only that. Your partner might crave holding hands in public, kissing before leaving for work, a back massage, or cuddling before bed.
If you think this is your partner’s love language, make sure to learn what touches your partner finds loving. Some touches might be irritating to your partner and by touching him/her in that way, you are communicating the opposite of love.
Besides the fact that physical touch is a love language, the health benefits of physical touch are endless. Even if this isn’t your partner’s primary love language, it might be beneficial to figure out which touches mean the most to him/her, and try to perform them more each week.
On the five love languages’ website, there is a questionnaire designed to help you and your partner discover your love language. Try to sit down with your partner and answer the questionnaire; in our next blog post, we will talk more in depth about how to discover which love language is yours and how to use it to better your relationship.
Questions about today’s post? Don’t hesitate to contact Reka by phone at 402-881-8125 or by email at reka@omaha-counseling.com. Don’t forget to follow Omaha Counseling on Twitter or Facebook.
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photo credit: macappsaddict via photopin cc
