Why is it Hard to Tell Someone You Love Them?

It can be hard to tell someone you love them if you're not entirely sure that is how you feel about the other person. There is no definitive explanation of what love is. You may care about someone deeply, but does that mean you love that person? Perhaps there are different types of love – you may love someone as a friend, but saying that you love them might mean something different as far as they are concerned. Even if you're romantically involved with someone and it is clear what you mean when you tell your partner that you love them, there is always a fear that the feeling may not be reciprocated.

Thus, a sense of uncertainty with regards to what constitutes love and a fear of rejection are what most people are concerned about when it comes to making a declaration of their love. Nobody wants to tell their boyfriend or girlfriend that they are in love with them, only to be at the receiving end of a long, awkward silence. When you tell someone you love them, you want to be sure that they feel the same way, although you won't know until you say something. The chances are the other person is similarly afraid and so you both bumble on, failing to say what you're feeling because you don't want to face the hurt and embarrassment of not being loved.

Besides, when is it acceptable to declare your love? If you've only been seeing someone for a week or two, is it really appropriate to tell them that you love them? You could quite easily scare them off if you think you have a serious relationship, whilst they are under the impression you're both just having some fun. Sometimes, it's easier to tell yourself your feelings aren't as strong as they perhaps are, because if something goes wrong, you can tell yourself that it didn't really matter that much to you – after all, you never let the other person know how important they were to you.

Declaring your love for someone isn't something to be taken lightly, because it generally signals that the relationship you have with that person is particularly important to you. Indeed, that is why it is so difficult to tell someone that you love them, because doing so seems to leave you in a vulnerable state. It could be that the other person doesn't feel the same way, in which case you're left feeling rather down, whilst even if you both love each other, there is the potential for the other person to take their love away later down the line. Being open about your emotions and feelings is always difficult, anyway, but when it comes to love there is always an added layer of tension and anxiety.