Receiving Gifts For Self-Love - 5 Love Languages Series
A person who has gifts as their love language feels most loved when their partner gives them tangible items. According to Gary Chapman's love language theory, a love language is simply a person's preferred way of receiving affection in a relationship. Gifts is one of the five love languages, alongside words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, and acts of service.
For people with gifts as a love language, the act of giving a gift serves as a gesture of affection and care because it shows the person was thinking about you while you weren't around and wanted to find a way to make you smile. The gift also becomes a physical token memorializing a moment, experience, or feeling. In other words, it's less about the specific thing that's being given and more about what that thing symbolizes.
Signs your love language is gifts:
Words are nice, but a physical representation of love you can hold in your hands feels so much more real and meaningful.
The process of giving each other sweet, romantic presents is one of your favorite "little things" about being in a relationship.
You treasure anything a partner gives you, whether it's the most expensive thing on your wish list or a single flower they plucked off the side of the road.
It means a lot to you when someone puts in a lot of time or effort into a gift for you.
You love surprises—they make you feel cherished.
You feel really loved when someone brings you back a souvenir from a trip they went on without you.
You're the type of person who really cares about birthdays, anniversaries, and other gift-giving holidays, and you'd honestly be a little hurt if your partner didn't go out of their way to get you something really special.
For special occasions, thoughtful presents are really important to you: You want gifts that have a lot of meaning, personalization, and feeling behind them.
You can tell the difference between a last-minute, generic gift and one that someone really put some thought into—and that difference matters a lot to you.
You also love a "just because" gift, i.e., when someone brings you a small present for no real reason other than that they were thinking about you.
When your partner remembers something you mentioned you wanted ages ago and gets it for you, you feel incredibly seen and loved.
Little gestures of care and generosity—like when they grab coffee on their way to meet you and bring you one without even asking—feel so sweet and meaningful to you.
When your date pays for you—whether it's the movie ticket, the dinner bill, or the car ride home—you take it as a sign that they must really like you.
You don't expect your partner to pay for everything, but when they do it, it just makes you feel closer to them—like they're saying, you're my person, and I got you.
In fact, when your partner doesn't pay for you, it sometimes makes you feel like you're unimportant to them.
When your partner gives you one of their most-used pieces of clothing, you live in it—not only because it smells like them but because it was something of theirs that they clearly loved and chose to give it to you anyway.
Kisses and cuddling are fun, but they aren't nearly as romantic to you as a meaningful present.
You'd be more bothered by a partner not getting you anything for your birthday than by them not being available to hang out that often.
You're the type of person who never throws away presents—they're too meaningful to you!
Receiving Gifts: Absorb Self-Love
Buy yourself something you would buy a partner - flowers, underwear, your favourite chocolates.
Gift yourself with an experience on your bucket list. Always wanted to sky dive or go whitewater rafting? Budget it out and plan it. Enlist the help and support of friends as needed.
Invest in your education and advancement. Want to pursue a higher degree? Take a cooking class? Learn how to be a yoga instructor? Do the research, apply for grants and scholarships, volunteer to learn new skills. Gift yourself with knowledge.
Buy only what you love. Don’t allow things in your home and closet that don’t bring you positive vibrations. (While you’re at it, purge that which does not bring you joy.)
