Is it Love or Obsession?

Have you ever wondered if you were in love with someone? All of the signs seem to be there. Your heart does flip-flops whenever the person is around. You wake up thinking about the person. You go to sleep thinking about the person. You daydream about the person in your waking hours, and dream about the person at night while sleeping. You want to spend time together. You feel sad when you have to part ways.

All of these are signs that you might very well be in love. They are also signs that could very well be obsession. There is one sign, however, that will help you to determine whether what you are feeling is obsession or love. That sign is the amount of love and attention you give to yourself.

When you become obsessed with another person, you will forget about yourself. Very often, you will stop eating properly. You may stop exercising. You may put on hold those things that used to give you a great amount of pleasure. Your focus will become entirely on the other person. You will care more for the other person than you do for yourself. You may change your plans and re-route your entire calendar just to satisfy your need to be with the other person -- even if it means doing without other areas of your life that you enjoy.

Love, on the other hand, is not this way. When you love someone, you want to be the best you can be for that person. You will want to be strong, healthy, and successful. You will realize that what you bring to the relationship can only make it strong if you are strong as an individual.

Sandra thought she was in love with a man she met at a YMCA. She was there working out when the two of them struck up a conversation. After a few dates, Sandra was smitten. Soon, however, she became very jealous, and began watching his every move. She even stopped going to school because she was afraid that while she was at school, he might be seeing other girls. Her every move was dictated by the thoughts of how it would affect him. Sandra had become obsessed, and her obsession eventually drove the man away.

If you are in a relationship, it is time to take an evaluation and determine whether or not you are obsessed. If you are, you need to realize that your most important relationship is with yourself -- regardless of whether or not you are in a love relationship with someone else.