Some people will chase your light like moths to a flame—drawn to your beauty, your spirit, your energy—but never once asking if you feel safe in their
Some people will chase your light like moths to a flame—
drawn to your beauty, your spirit, your energy—
but never once asking if you feel safe in their fire.
It can feel like love.
They’ll say all the right things.
They’ll flood your phone, your thoughts, your heart with attention.
But something deep down whispers: “This doesn’t feel steady.”
Too many of us—especially those of us who have survived betrayal, harm, or being unseen—mistake infatuation for love.
Because infatuation is loud.
It’s intense.
It fills in the silence we were never supposed to sit in alone.
But baby, love isn’t here to rescue you—it’s here to respect you.
There’s a difference. A deep one.
And learning that difference can mean the end of cycles that have kept you from yourself.
Let’s talk about it.
❤️🔥 Infatuation Says: I Want You
🧠 Love Says: I Know You, and I Respect You
“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”
— Zora Neale Hurston
💫 1. Infatuation is Instant. Love is Patient.
Infatuation rushes. It wants to “lock you down” fast, often without truly knowing who you are.
Love takes its time. It unfolds gently and deeply, respecting your pace, not pressuring your peace.
💫 2. Infatuation Wants to Possess. Love Wants to Understand.
Infatuation is driven by fantasy—an image of who they think you are.
Love is grounded in reality. It sees your whole self: the beauty, the flaws, the complexity—and stays.
💫 3. Infatuation Avoids the Real You. Love Wants to See the Real You.
Someone infatuated with you may get bored or frustrated once you start expressing needs, boundaries, or vulnerability.
Someone who loves you will lean in when things get real. They’ll want to know what brings you joy, what makes you cry, what helps you feel safe.
💫 4. Infatuation is Loud. Love is Consistent.
Infatuation comes with big promises, big gestures, big feelings—but often no follow-through.
Love may start quietly, but it’s steady, reliable, and shows up even when it’s inconvenient.
💫 5. Infatuation Is About the High. Love Is About the Growth.
Infatuation fades when things aren’t “fun” anymore.
Love grows stronger through challenges, deep conversations, shared healing, and truth-telling.
💫 6. Infatuation Seeks Control. Love Honors Autonomy.
Infatuated people may become clingy, jealous, or reactive when you set boundaries.
Someone who loves you may not always like your boundary—but they’ll respect it.
Love will never try to rush your spirit, bypass your pain, or muzzle your truth. Love doesn’t shrink you into someone more palatable. It celebrates your wholeness.
And most importantly:
Love doesn’t need you to be less, softer, or smaller. It invites you to be more—fully, fearlessly, beautifully more.
“It’s funny about ‘love,’ isn’t it? It’s such a little word. It hasn’t got but four letters, yet it’s as big as a mountain, or the sky. Or the world.”
— Nella Larsen, from Quicksand (1928)
