I thought about the idea of telling someone, “I love you.” I do it a lot, maybe more than I should. I don’t know if there’s proper etiquette for how many times you can say ‘I love you.” It’s a personal thing.

Saying it is one thing, but there are ways to say ‘I love you’ without saying a word. Because let’s face it, anyone can say ‘I love you,’ and it can mean something different for each person. But showing someone you love them zeros in on the heart where the recipient can actually feel it.

So how do you say ‘I love you’ without saying a word? Well, here’s a list I came up with, but there are certainly more ways than this because we’re individuals who feel differently. What works for one person might not work for another. It’s subjective, but here are some ideas.

1. Showing respect.

It goes without saying that when you respect someone, you are mindful of your words and actions.

You maybe even worry about what the other person thinks of you, so showing respect is showing good manners and that you love them.

2. Listening.

This is necessary for loving relationships and should be number one, but respect (in my opinion) defines relationships from being healthy to unhealthy. Listening is so important. And not just listening to remember things so you can replay what the other said. No, listening to hear and comprehend.

When your partner, friend, family member, or whoever looks you in the eyes and shows you they are actively listening, love this there.

3. Taking an interest in their life.

Think about how you feel when you can talk about your life and what’s going on, and the other person’s aura reads that they genuinely care about what you’re saying. It feels good, doesn’t it?

Well, if we do the same, then the other person will feel that way too. We are saying, ‘I love you’ without using those words.

 

4. Supporting their dreams and goals.

Being in a healthy relationship means you have to trust the other person so that they know what is right for them.

It might sound nutty to you, but that’s you and your perception. Let people be themselves, and you can choose to love them for it or not. It’s simple.

 

5. Being loyal.

When you trust someone and share your soul with them, the worst pain comes from someone being disloyal. Loyalty shows love in a way that allows the person to be vulnerable and share themselves without fear of getting hurt. Be a loyal person who says ‘I love you’ without words.

 

 

6. Letting them go.

We cannot control other people. If you try to do that with guilt and manipulation, you’re not saying, ‘I love you.’ Instead, what you’re saying is that the other person is not good enough the way they are with the likes and interests they have, and they’d be better off if they changed to suit your interests. That is a big no no!

If you love someone and want to show it, let them go be who they are. People are much happier being authentic; if you love someone, you want to see them happy. If you’re happy with yourself, you’re not threatened by the person you love and trust in them.

7. Caring.

When you show someone that you care about them, that’s love. It’s coming out of yourself and seeing what the other person needs. They may not express it, but you know what it is because you pay attention and care. It’s having empathy where you know what the other person is feeling, so if they’re stressed, you know the magic words or actions to break them out of it. And you care from your heart, not your head.

If you think you’ll get brownie points for giving someone a foot rub because they were on their feet all day, that’s not caring. That’s another form of manipulation where you want to get something out of the other person. It’s like you’re saying without words, ‘I’ll take care of you, but you need to take care of me too.’  Caring because you love the other person so much that you just want to see them happy, comfortable, or whatever is good for them, is saying ‘I love you’ without words.

8. Giving jealousy a kick to the curb.

I think one of the leading causes of relationship failure is jealousy. It ruins relationships. Even if people are still together, living in the same household, it’s not love. It’s existing and feeling resentful and not doing anything about it out of fear. Jealousy is feeling like the other person is not loving you the way you want, so you want to punish them and make them feel bad. Tisk tisk. Not a good way to live. For this one, I do suggest opening up and speaking what’s in your heart. Tell the person who is jealous that there’s nothing to be jealous about, that you love and appreciate who they are, and that they’re important too.

You don’t have to go overboard because we all deserve to live our lives without fearing the other person might get jealous. Now, of course, I am referring to nice things like wanting to take a class at night or taking a promotion to work in another state, not cheating on someone. That is a whole different subject.

I know there’s a ton more things we can do to show someone we love them. I’m hitting what I think are the top ways we can say ‘I love you’ without using words. Try some of these and watch your relationships get deeper and stronger.

Thank you for reading this, and if you have any other ways you show someone you love them, put them in the comments below. I’d love to read them.

To saying ‘I love you’ without saying a word,

Francesca