25 Signs Of Genuine Unconditional Love

1. There are no restrictions on your love

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When your love for someone is unconditional, it quite literally means that the love runs so deep for that person that it cannot be affected by outside problems or conditions. It means that your love for them is not changed by outside forces whether they are positive or negative, your love simply remains. This allows for complete honesty and transparency. It creates a space for both people to be authentically themselves and be accepted for that. It can't be swayed by opinions or societal standards.

2. You fully support their dreams

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Someone who loves unconditionally chooses to support their partner fully when it comes to their goals and dreams. The support that's offered is unwavering, and it may look like emotional, financial or moral support. Not only will you support, but you will actively appreciate what they're trying to achieve and assist them as much as you can in that. They will provide consistent motivation and faith when things get tough. You love to encourage your partner when they're down, and remind them of the bigger picture.

3. You care for them when they're sick

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Whether it's a short term or long term illness, when you love someone unconditionally, sickness brings you a great deal of concern. Your own needs go out the window for a bit as you choose to look after and care for your sick partner. You will do whatever it takes to help them get back on their feet and do your best to keep them in good spirits as well. They're constantly on your mind, and you send texts or small presents to let them know that you're thinking of them. Staying by someone's side in sickness is a sign of unconditional love.

4. You know how to provide emotional support

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As someone who loves unconditionally, you're very attuned to what your partner is thinking and feeling. When you walk together through life's ups and downs, you are able to be sensitive towards that person's needs and empathize with whatever they're experiencing. You're both able to be vulnerable with each other and keep each other moving in a positive direction. With unconditional love, you are able to face challenges head on and provide encouragement for your partner. You anticipate their needs and act on them before it becomes a bigger issue.

5. You never hold grudges

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We want to be clear that unconditional love doesn't mean that you allow yourself to be a punching back with no boundaries. But arguments and fights are bound to happen in every relationship, even if both partners are giving completely of themselves. At the end of the day, people are different, and there are going to be conflicts. That being said, when you love unconditionally, you're always acting in the best interest of both parties. This means that your goal is to quickly resolve arguments and move past them. You don't hold grudges or bitterness once things have resolved.

6. You're truly looking for a teammate

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One of the coolest parts about loving someone unconditionally is that it allows you and your partner to become teammates who are truly working together in a free and open partnership. Because your love is so deep, you're able to work past flaws, have fantastic communication because you're not holding things back from each other, and you can overcome any obstacle together. You both accept each other for who you are and actively work on building a great life together, because you know you both have each other's best interests at heart.

7. You operate from a place of kindness

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We all know what it feels like when someone does something to help us out and you can tell that they're expecting something in return. However, when you love someone unconditionally, your default setting will be kindness in every situation. You would never intentionally hurt someone's feelings, and you do your best to make your partner feel safe and cared for. This could be small, practical things like covering them with a blanket or bigger things like making sure they're secure and happy whatever it takes.

8. You want to grow old together

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If you know that the person you're with is someone that you want to have around you for the rest of your life, then it's a very strong sign of unconditional love. If you choose to spend your lifetime with someone, this ONLY works if you love that person without condition. Why? Because life will throw you a lot of curveballs. From kids to sickness to job changes, you need to be able to ride the wave with this person. So if you can envision a future with them, you might love them unconditionally! If you can't, it might be time to move on!

9. You like doing nice things for them

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If you find yourself practically bursting with joy and excitement at the thought of doing something nice for your partner, then it's a big sign that you love this person unconditionally. While we should always be nice to those around us, this is beyond that of wanting to buy flowers or special dinner or plan something that you know they will love. And it's truly because you want to, not expecting anything in return for it. It genuinely brings joy to your heart knowing you can bring happiness to your partner in this way.

10. You know how to apologize

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If you love someone unconditionally, then your pride is never too great to be able to admit to a mistake or to ask for forgiveness. When you find yourself falling short, if you both love each other unconditionally, there will be no hesitancy in communicating that to your partner. You're quick to admit when you're wrong or to say sorry, because at the end of the day, you know that you both love each other regardless and you both want the best for each other. If your partner is asking for forgiveness, you don't guilt-trip them or manipulate the circumstance in any way.

11. You take time to really understand them

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A lot of people these days fall in love with someone's potential instead of who that person is really presenting themselves to be. When you love someone without condition, then you have a desire to really know and understand them. As that unconditional love grows and deepens, you'll know what they're thinking before you ask, you'll know what makes them uncomfortable or angry or sad. This type of intimacy is a sign of truly knowing and accepting someone, which is a genuine indicator of unconditional love.

12. You are able to display patience

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When you love someone unconditionally, this means that you are able to display a deep level of patience. Things in life don't always go the way we want them to, and people and relationships come with their own unique challenges. However, unconditional love brings and overriding sense of security and harmony. You have realistic and grounded expectations for each other and you're able to display compassion and empathy in all situations. You know that you're not going anywhere, so you are willing to wait it out.

13. You are not selfish

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Loving someone unconditionally means that you are selfless. This doesn't mean that you have no backbone, or you let the wrong person walk all over you. It means that you care more deeply about their happiness and needs than your own, so you are thinking of them and how what you do could affect them. When both partners love unconditionally, you are putting each other first and taking care of each other. You're both willing to find compromises that will ultimately better the relationship and benefit both of you.

14. You tell each other everything

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If your partner feels comfortable to the point where they can share anything with you, then this is a great sign that you're showing them unconditional love. This is similar to being vulnerable, but neither of you will feel the need to keep secrets from each other. This type of bond is rare, and it means that you're able to share the parts of yourselves with each other that you wouldn't share with anyone else. This type of love is unconditional love that comes free of shame, anxiety, or embarrassment.

15. You fully accept them as they are

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One of the best feelings that unconditional love brings is knowing that you're loved for exactly who you are. This type of love is something that comes with time, and needs to grow in trust to ensure that you don't end up in a bad situation, but when you find it, it's beautiful. It means that you love that person regardless of any of their flaws. We all have them! And even though there might be negative things or things that aren't your favorite, you choose to accept them as they are, the good, the bad, and the weird.

16. You want your partner to feel special

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A great sign that you are showing genuine unconditional love for someone is when you're willing to go out of your way to make that person feel special. Maybe it's noticing something that was stressing them out or bothering them and fixing it or bringing them something that will cheer them up, or simply offering some encouraging words. These small acts of kindness are a way for you to show your partner that you care for them and appreciate them. It shows them that they are the most valuable person in the world to you.

17. You're in it for the long haul

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We've already discussed the desire about growing old together when you love someone unconditionally. But before that happens, you'll likely find that you and your partner are together for a long time, and you're genuinely happy together. This is a great sign that there is unconditional love there, and you feel as though you're still dating because you're so excited to be with each other. Of course, feelings can be fickle at times, but at the end of the day you know that the love you have for this person can't be shaken.

18. You don't feel the need to prove yourself

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Because unconditional love creates a space for both people to be completely themselves and comfortable together, this means that you don't have to strive to prove yourself. You know that you love the person for who they are, and they do the same! When you try to prove yourself to someone, it often comes from a place of insecurity or a need to be chosen, rather than knowing that you and your person are completely in love with each other without having to impress each other in that way. You operate from a place of security and safety rather than from a fear of abandonment.

19. You maintain your independence

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From the things we've talked about on this list, it could be easy to mistake unconditional love for self-abandonment. But that's simply not the case with genuine unconditional love. When you love someone unconditionally, it actually allows you to be less dependent on your partner. That's because you're truly choosing each other. This allows you to still each maintain a level of independence and have your own interests and lives, coming together as an unstoppable team. Unconditional love does not create codependency!

20. You tell the truth

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This goes along with other things we've been discussing around vulnerability and open communication. But when you love someone unconditionally and you know that they love you unconditionally, you will always feel the ability to tell them the truth, even if it feels uncomfortable. There's no need to lie or hide things, whether big or small, because you know how to to be completely honest with each other while still completely accepting one another. If you feel comfortable with each other, this is a sign of unconditional love.

21. You're protective of them

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This is different than feelings of jealousy! Jealousy can often lead to manipulation or control. This comes from a place of genuine care and concern when it's attached to unconditional love. Being protective of the person you love doesn't mean that you limit what they can do or who they can see. It just means that you value their safety, and you make sure that their health and well-being is a priority, because you care for them deeply. This might mean that you make sure they get home safe or check in with them if you sense something is off.

22. You can just feel it

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When you love someone unconditionally, and they love you unconditionally, you kind of just feel it in your gut. It feels right in both of your hearts, and you know that you're both willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. You feel excited when you know you're going to see them soon. They know how to make you feel special and visa versa. You both go out of your way for each other. If you've found this type of partnership or friendship with someone, hold onto it dearly, because it can be hard to find!

23. You don't expect them to change

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Because you accept the person that you love exactly as they are, it means that you also don't place expectations on them to try to change them or control them. This only works in healthy relationships, and it shouldn't be attempted with an abusive partner. But when you love someone unconditionally, then you are focused on the ways that YOU can be an ideal partner, rather than how THEY can be an ideal partner. And more times than not, in this situation, you both will grow and change together as you learn more about each other.

24. You have a sense of wholeness

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When you are a healthy person who's able to give love freely without expectations or resentment, then you are rooted in wholeness. This allows your partner to operate from this place as well, and ultimately you both will be able to maintain your individuality while growing together as a team. You're not operating out of unrealistic expectations for each other, and you will make each other the best versions of yourselves, which allows for a beautiful and loving relationship that is healthy, rather than self-serving.

25. You're quick to forgive

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This is similar to what we were discussing earlier about not holding grudges. When you love someone unconditionally, then you are also able to forgive that person relatively easily. This doesn't mean that you overlook bad behavior, but you know and care for that person so deeply that you're able to understand and accept the flaws of that person and move forward. Loving someone in this way makes you ready for the long haul vs. looking for something easy or convenient. Again, this does not mean that you should stay in an unsafe or abusive situation, but in normal everyday life with flawed humans, you know how to forgive and move forward.

26. You know how to be vulnerable

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Someone who's giving 100% to the relationship also trusts their partner to the utmost. This might be hard given past baggage, but if you are showing someone unconditional love, then you're going to be able to be vulnerable with them, and visa versa hopefully! This show of devotion to your partner will help create a safe space where your partner feels able and comfortable to open up and show you the same type of love. Instead of hiding things from your past that you might be ashamed of, you both share freely, knowing your love will not waver.

27. You're incredibly proud of your partner

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Unconditional love often means that you feel so proud of the person you love and their accomplishments. You celebrate their wins as if they were your own. If you show unconditional love, this comes from a genuine place, never jealousy, and you LOVE celebrating that person. You provide them a stable and consistent foundation, help them stay motivated, and relish in their victories. If you're lucky, they will do the same for you and your goals, and there will be nothing the two of you can't accomplish together!

28. You have the utmost respect for them

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If you display unconditional love for the people in your life, then probably one of the most valuable characteristics to you is respect. It's the foundation of unconditional love. It goes beyond good manners or encouragement. It means that at your core, you value the other person and believe in treating them with full respect at all times, in both public and private. You sing their praises and love that person with your whole being. This level of respect removes insecurities and allows both people to love fully.

29. You give preference to other people's needs

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If you're the type of person who allows other people to state their preference, and you're often willing to go along with it, then you probably love people in your world unconditionally. You allow people to choose what to watch, where to eat, and what to do. This does not mean that you don't set boundaries or that you never make suggestions of your own. But overall, you're happy to adjust to others for the sake of their happiness. This is done without any sort of bitterness or resentment and is a great example of unconditional love.

30. You don't expect it in return

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When you have unconditional love for someone, it means that you love that person no matter what. You don't love them because of what they do for you or because they make you feel a certain way. This also means that you love them without expecting anything in return from them. You would love them even if they never returned the love in the same way. This doesn't mean that you should be with someone who doesn't love you back, but it just means that you're content being with them without expectations. Your love for them doesn't have conditions around it.

31. Tell them you're proud even for the simplest things

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When we're talking about being supportive and proud in a loving relationship, a lot of the time it can be for the big things, like how proud you are they got a huge promotion at work, a brand new job altogether, or proud that they accomplished a huge goal they've been working on for a while. When it's unconditional love, even the smallest things can just blow your mind as to how proud you are of them for doing it. Getting out of bed and getting dressed when they're ill? SO proud. Putting a TV dinner in the microwave? You're so proud that they got up to do that. You just want them to feel appreciated no matter what.

32. You endure things you hate just for them

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This is more light-hearted than it sounds, because we'd never expect one person to go through absolute hell just for the sake of the person they're with - we just mean the simple things on a day to day basis. You hate horror movies and then love them? You best believe you're watching all of them with them (just hiding from behind a pillow). Or maybe you can't stand rom coms but they're your partner's favorite so you sit through a marathon just to make them happy. You smile through their awful cooking because you know it's their favorite meal and they think they've done it so well... things like that.

33. You try to open up as much alone time as possible

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Not only do you want quality alone time with this person because you love them more than anything, you also do everything in your power to get everything else done as quickly as possible so that hopefully you even get to see them earlier than expected, or spend longer than them. If you're working before you see them, you try to get everything done and get off early. You organize your life so that things like errands and grocery shopping don't cut into time you could be spending with them, because that's all that matters.

34. Birthday messages are more special than the gifts

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Obviously the gift part is still just as thoughtful and meaningful, and you or your partner could spend money on some seriously special gifts. But it's more about how the message in the card, or with the letter, for occasions like birthdays, Valentine's or anniversaries, is often just as special, if not more, because of the meaningful words. It's not just thought put into a gift and then a 'Happy Birthday, Love - Me' it's a 10 page message about how much you mean, why you mean that much, why they chose the gift and a million other words they use to show they love you!

35. You're still just as attracted to each other even though a lot has changed physically

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You know it's unconditional love when you're still just as attracted to each other as you always were. You might have gone through a bunch of big changes like putting on weight, losing weight, going grey, changing your hair color, losing the shape you once had, getting hairier... honestly, anything natural that happens to the body. Of course someone who loves you isn't going to mind that, but if one of the biggest things that attracted them to you in the first place was something specific about your body (they loved your big hips) and this has completely changed over the years, it's unconditional when they still love your changed hips just as much!

36. You can tell each other absolutely anything in the world

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Happy couples are going to tell each other their secrets, wants and needs, or even just openly discuss the day's gossip. Even healthy and happy couples can decide to keep some things to themselves, and there's nothing wrong with that either. When it's unconditional, you know there is absolutely nothing you could say to them that they could judge you for - no secret that you need to be embarrassed about, no piece of gossip you need to worry about in terms of them not being interested or thinking bad of you... you can tell each other anything in the world.

37. You're both not perfect - and that's okay

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Every person, and every couple, has things that might be annoying to one of them - you can love someone, and still be annoyed when they do something small that bugs you. But no matter what you both go through, or the fact you're both not perfect, it doesn't make a difference to the way you care about and love each other. You can get annoyed by quirks or flaws but it doesn't affect the relationship in terms of 'I don't think I love her as much anymore because she does this annoying thing' or 'I like him less now because of that'. It's unconditional.

38. You're always bragging

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No, we don't mean bragging about your latest record at the gym or how good your hair looks today - we mean bragging about your partner! And you know it's unconditional when the 'brags' are about the tiniest little things. You or your partner might go out telling anyone who listens how amazing their partner is, and how they did this 'really cool thing' or 'oh hey you want to see my partner do that, she's so good at that! I'm so proud'. You basically want everyone to know how lucky you are, because you can't believe it yourself.

39. "Sexy" means what makes them confident

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There are things in society that are labelled as 'sexy' in terms of couples and intimacy, like sexy lingerie, or certain outfits, or lighting candles for a night in rather than having the lamp on. But when it's unconditional, sexy basically means whatever makes you comfortable. They find it just as sexy when you where sweats with food dropped down the front as they would if you had a lace nightgown on. You find them just as sexy in a hoody and pajama pants as you would getting out of the shower in a towel. Sexy just means when they're happy!

40. You still do the small gestures even though you've been together forever

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When it's unconditional love, there's no amount of time that's going to change how you treat each other, either. Some couples might have this 'honeymoon' period at the very beginning where you're holding doors open, carrying the grocery bags, getting the car door, covering the whole bill... only for 2, 5 or 10 years down the line to not do any of that anymore because you think you've 'been together too long'. But when it's unconditional you don't change - you still act the same when you did when you were first falling in love.

41. Make big life changes for them

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Serious couples will want to make the big life decisions together, as a team - whether that's where to live, job goals or family goals. But when it's unconditional love, one person can be very prepared to change a whole lot for the other. You might be willing to find a completely new job, completely relocate and start a completely new life somewhere with this person, just because they said that would make them happy, or maybe because they need to make that change for a new job or because of personal responsibilities. Any big decision like that you're more than willing to change or consider for them.

42. The dangers of unconditional love: it might affect your self-love

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Unconditional love can be a very special thing when you find it with the right person. And unconditional love doesn't have to just be romantic relationships, either. We know that one of the most common forms of unconditional love can be from a parent to their child. But when we're talking the craving of unconditional love with a romantic partner, it can be damaging for quite a few reasons, with the wrong person. When you put so much focus on someone loving you unconditionally, it could also be a symptom of having low self-esteem, or make you love yourself less. Because you feel like you can 'get away' with more so you begin to not do as many things that bring you self-confidence.

43. You might end up having no boundaries

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The very term of unconditional means that you haven't set any conditions on what you would do for this person, or for the relationship. This can often lead to no personal boundaries being set between you and the person you love. Boundaries can be important in a relationship, and some people need them to be happy and healthy. So if you're giving too much to being 'unconditional', it may end up meaning that you're being pushed too far out of your comfort zone, or what you're willing to give to a relationship.

44. You might end up sacrificing a whole lot of what you want

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Like we mentioned about the willingness to up and move, relocate or find a new job, or pretty much do anything for the person you love, this could also mean that you make a huge amount of sacrifices that can ultimately lead to resentment. Compromise is important in relationships, of course, and sometimes you might be willing to do things that you both need (like move cities) but what's important is that you should never sacrifice too much of what you want and need for them. It needs to be a team effort.

45. You might be giving more than you're getting

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Most of us hope we can find a person we love who gives us as much unconditional love in return as we do them, but sometimes it doesn't always work out that way. You might love your partner unconditionally, but they might not feel the same about you. This could lead to you constantly giving them your all, and putting your heart and soul into the relationship, while they might not be giving you the same back. This might eventually wear you down, leave you exhausted and even feeling neglected in the relationship.

46. You might get taken advantage of

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When a person realizes they're in a relationship with someone who loves them unconditionally - and when they might not feel the same back - it can then be very easy for them to realize that there's a whole lot more they can get away with, because they know you'll do what they ask, will forgive them easily or be open minded about what they want and need. This might lead them to take advantage of you - whether willingly or unconsciously - which isn't fair in a relationship, and can throw off the balance.

47. It might make you blind to problems or flaws

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When you love someone unconditionally - or even when you've blinded yourself with the want

to love someone like that - it can leave you a little delusional over what's actually going on. It can leave you in denial about things they do that are unacceptable, or might make you see everything with rose-tinted glasses. Because you want to love them unconditionally and have that sort of relationship, you might choose not to call out problematic behavior or dwell too much on flaws that need to be addressed, because you tell yourself you love them just the way they are.

48. You might see what you *want* to see

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A lot of the time, people can crave unconditional love so badly as this 'relationship goal' that you end up seeing what you want to think. You might think that you're in the perfect relationship of two people loving each other unconditionally, when the reality might be much different. It could be a case of you really want a relationship to work out, so you ignore problems and tell yourself it's perfect. Or, you could very much be more in love with the idea of an unconditional love relationship that you place a person you're with on a pedestal to hold up to that expectation.

49. You start needing physical proof

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And what can ultimately happen if you're so desperately trying to love your partner unconditionally - and have that kind of relationship - is that eventually you're going to start needing to actually see proof of how much they're devoted to you. It's not enough for them to tell you that they love you or that they'd do anything for you, you start to need validation, and this can lead to distrust and a need for your partner to show you how much they love you, through buying things, doing things or things that they say. And if they don't, you might start to worry and doubt...

50. You start to feel anxious

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... Which can inevitably lead to anxiety in the relationship! You're going to start doubting them, yourself and the relationship you thought was unconditional, only now to realize it might not be. It also might make it more likely to start more controlling behaviors with your partner, because this is the only way you can feel more in control and subdue the anxious feelings. You start to doubt your own judgement on what you think unconditional love looks like, and then you might start to doubt your partner's intentions for the relationship!