Love is a pure, intense and wonderful emotion that is felt for another person. Suddenly, life seems beautiful and worthwhile. It strikes you when you least expect it and often, people fall in love even before they realize that they have. You may already be falling head over heels for someone who you have known for a long time or just met. Nevertheless, you develop a profound and deep romantic connection with him/her that you just can't deny. The initial stage of love, the falling part, is the most exciting. But, it is being in love that takes the cake. You are already in love and are navigating the horizons. In fact, you would be surprised to learn the extent to which you can push yourself for the love your life. I certainly was. And yet, it can be hard to believe that the cupid's arrow did strike you indeed, especially if it is the first time. I had been a commitment phobe for as long as I can remember. Then one day, I met a man and before I knew it, I had given myself away to him. God knows what changed in this world but I was suddenly willing to be in a relationship. It was tough accepting that a complete stranger could have that kind of effect over me. For a long time, I was confused and had no idea I was in love. Let me save you the emotional drama and tell you about the signs of being in love, from my own experience. Love is hard to define, but, thankfully it is easier to tell if one is in love. ♥ Signs That Say You Are in Love ♥ Falling in love with someone is an exciting, wonderful experience. If you are unfamiliar with this experience, it may also be a bit confusing. You don't know what has changed you. Find yourself in a similar situation? Take a look at this compilation of the signs of being in love.

• In your thoughts - When you are in love with someone, you remember him/her all the time. You can't get enough of thinking about that person and the happy moments spent together, all day and night long. It becomes hard to concentrate on work or anything else.
• He/she is everywhere - When you are in love, everything in daily life reminds you of him/her. When you see anything or do anything, you tend to reminisce their habits, likes, dislikes or a related incident with them. You see their face everywhere you go, only to take a second look and realize that you were mistaken.
• Happy state of mind - I find this one to be a universal fact. Any person in love is unusually happy and cheerful. You will see even a snobbish one with a perpetual smile. This is because love literally creates happiness in our minds by producing a feel-good hormone, oxytocin.
• Bursting with new vigor and enthusiasm - A side-effect of being in love is that suddenly you will have a lot more energy than usual. You function with a new found fervor in your daily activities despite the lack of sleep. In fact, if you are a late riser, you'll even effortlessly wake up early to catch a glimpse of your favorite person.
• You become concerned - If you have become very concerned about someone, then it indicates that you are in love. You always care about his/her safety and happiness. You experience an overwhelming urge that he/she should be happy and comfortable and should not be troubled by anything. It becomes your number one priority. You always try to protect that person.
• "Mirror mirror on the wall..." - When you start loving someone, you become more cautious about your appearance. You naturally wish that you should look more attractive to him/her. You become attentive about your clothes and hairstyle, so that you would get an appreciation from him/her. You even look more cheerful because of all the romance bursting inside you.
• Love is blind - When you love someone, you feel that no person is more attractive than the one you love. You don't even notice the presence of other people. Your whole attention is concentrated on that special person only.
• Your friends say you've gone MIA - You don't spend much time with your friends anymore because you would rather devote all your time to someone special. Even if not in person, you are spending much of your time communicating or thinking about each other. Even though you are surrounded by your friends, you will find yourself constantly thinking about this person.
• La dolce far niente - This Italian phrase means "the sweetness of doing nothing" and is apt here. A man/woman in love is always willing to be in the company of his/her beloved while doing absolutely nothing. The silence feels comforting and blissful.
• Excited to know more - When you find someone interesting, you wish to know more about him/her. You want to know about their interests and preferences. You are eager to understand every detail of their life. You also try to impress them by talking about or doing things they like, even if it doesn't interest you. At this point, you may even find yourself visiting their social networking profiles a lot.
• You are not yourself anymore - There was a time, when you were cautious about time or spending money. But when you are with someone special, you even don't even give a thought to the amount of time or money that you invest to make special gestures for them.
• You make compromises - When you love someone, you tend to think about his/her expectations. You think about his/her views and needs and learn to compromise. When in love, people are likely to go out of their way to plan a surprise for their significant other.
• You become monogamous - Loyalty is another name for love. You want to be loyal to him/her and expect the same from that person. He/she becomes the only person that matters to you and you willingly enter a one-partner set-up hopefully for the rest of your life.
• The future holds 'us' - You share some beautiful moments with him/her. You feel happy and excited when you plan about going to a party or picnics, attending a ceremony together. You start discussing your future plans, automatically including the other person in them.
• He/she completes you - I happened to discover this one when I refused to admit even to myself that I was lovestruck. I was a perfectly happy being single until he came along and showed me what I had been truly missing on all these years and just like that, I was willing to give up everything to be with him.
• Your day starts with him/her - I would like to add another sign of being in love (experienced firsthand). The second I open my eyes early morning, the first thought that crosses my mind is him as well as the last one when I shut my eyes to embrace sleep. Does that happen to you too?
• "I just can't get enough" - No matter how much time you spend together, you still miss the object of your affection the moment you are apart. Do you see old married couples tease each other all the time? Well, keep them away for a day and they'll be calling each other almost every hour!
• "We fight, we makeup" - If you are one of those twosomes who fight a lot, you may have wondered why do you still end up going back to each other. Well, my friend, you are in love! No matter what highs and lows you may endure together, it just seems impossible to be apart. Welcome to the world of love. (P.S.: Stop fighting. You aren't going to break up.)
• You smile like an idiot - Damn! I just caught myself smiling, thinking about the absurd joke he cracked the other day. I smile pointlessly and for that moment, I am distracted. The thing is that it happens about 10-15 times a day. Thankfully, nobody has caught me red-handed or have they?
• You never criticize them around others - When you really love someone, you never complain about them to anyone because you honor their worth among others more than your need to vent out your frustration. If you are guilty of doing so regularly, do not mistake yourself to be in love. People always protect those they love dearly.
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder - If you find yourself suddenly feeling lonely even while you follow the same routine everyday, someone definitely has made a special place in your heart. In love, everything seems bland and uninteresting without your sweetheart. Already checking your cell phone?
• You become very very obedient - May I just add in the end, love makes you really obedient. I find it impossible to say no to my man and he is very well aware of it. In fact, he takes complete advantage of it. Wait, he never misuses it against me and that's why I love him.
• You forget everything - That's it. I am so frustrated with myself because I keep forgetting things that are a part of my daily routine. My brain doesn't register things quickly anymore all because I am hopelessly lost in his thoughts. Does that happen with you too? Yeah, get that feeling when you stare at yourself in disbelief. Hold on, can you stare at yourself? Hmm... Oops, you can't. See what I am talking about? I am stupid.

People often ask, "How do I know if I am in love?" or "Am I really in love?". If you have had a similar question in your head, I hope I helped you gain more insight and find a definite answer. In fact, the signs of being in love are more obvious to those around you than to yourself. Your closed ones will be clued in to your feelings even before you are certain of them. By the way, scientists say that the brain scan of a love-sick person is similar to that of an addict. Sounds like obsessive lovers that confuse love with attraction. My only piece of advice to everyone in love would be to be with someone who respects and loves you more than you do to yourself.