Signs you're "falling in love" or infatuated
Infatuation is an exciting and wonderful "first step" into love.
by Gloria Liven

Infatuation is an intense feeling of passion, an intense longing, or feeling of love that is often not well-reasoned and is present in new relationships. It is the feeling one has when they are starting to fall in love with another person; It is not necessarily a shallow or bad thing, as it can be an important step to true love. In fact, you might call infatuation "blossoming love" that later grows into "true love".

Infatuation can also be called a crush or puppy love, and is most commonly seen in relationships that are new, or in people who have a crush on someone but are not in a relationship with them. In this case it may be a bad thing, if an infatuated person is too blind to see the other is wrong for them, or is too ready to commit before taking time to realize if it's true love.

Some of the signs of infatuation are:

• Thinking constantly about the other person
• Needing to see the other person, even if you must sneak away
• Constantly checking for calls/messages from the other person
• Feeling a rush, excitement, butterflies when the other person is around
• High sexual energy around the other person; feeling very sexually attracted to them
• Heart pounding, palms sweating
• Feeling "fireworks" and a rush when they kiss or touch you
• Not caring what your family/friends say about the other person if it is negative
• Feeling like the person might be "the one" or your soul mate even though you haven't known each other long
• Seeing only the good qualities of the other person
• Constantly wondering what the other person is thinking, if they like you; analyzing everything they do/say
• Being unsure if the other person feels the same as you
• Eating less, laying awake at night thinking of them
• The couple has not been together for a long time (less than a year)
• The couple may not know each other intimately (their hope, future plans, if they want kids, their religious and political views, etc.)

Infatuation is different from love in that it is not a mature relationship; there is typically none of the long-term commitment seen in love. It is also characterized by intense feelings of desire, passion, and excitement.

Infatuation is not necessarily a bad thing. Given time, it can turn into love. It can be dangerous, however, because a couple may move toward sexual intimacy too soon; the person may date someone they are infatuated with, even if they are not a good match; or a person may get hurt when they realize the other person is not perfect.

Infatuation can be a very good thing by bringing couples together and allowing their relationship to grow into love.

Some things an infatuated person might say:

• "They are the most amazing, beautiful/handsome person I've ever met"
• " I can't stop thinking about him/her!"
• "I love him/her"
• "I think about them all the time and not being with them is making me crazy"
• "If only he/she knew how I felt, they'd give me a chance with them"
• "My life would be perfect if I had him/her"
• "I have to have him/her"
• "I wish they knew how much I loved them"

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