It is a very common question, and all of you who are in love at any point of time in your life have asked this question to your self, “m I in love?”, but it is not an easy question to answer. What feels like love to one person may be nothing more than attraction to another. Some people fall in and out of love quickly and often while others are never really in love as much as they are in lust. This can get confusing when you are a teen because romantic love is a relatively new concept for you and you don’t know what to expect. You are overwhelmed with all sorts of new feelings and social pressures. They are confusing. What is love? What makes you want a romantic relationship with one person and not another? How does your heart choose a partner? Why does love end? These questions can’t be easily answered.

One of the most confusing quasi-love feelings is lust. Lust is a very powerful, very intense feeling of physical attraction toward another person. Lust is mainly sexual in nature - the attraction is superficial based on instant chemistry rather than genuine caring. Usually we lust after people we do not know well, people we still feel comfortable fantasizing about. It is very common for people to confuse lust for love.

Lust is about physical attraction and acting ONLY on physical attraction. Love is about much more than that. Yet many people confuse an intense attraction for some sort if divine love. For teens, since feelings of attraction are still new and since pop-culture sells sex and love as one package, it is very easy to get the two mixed up.

Lust is clearly not love. Love is based on more than just physical attraction. Sure, attraction is a factor, but love goes deeper than that. Love is based on caring, friendship, commitment and trust. When you are in love it is as if you have your best most trusted friend at your side AND you feel physically attracted to them. It is the best of both worlds! Love is a shared feeling between two people who have a vested interest in one another’s happiness. Love is a positive feeling. Love is the total surrender of your heart to another person with the security of knowing they will treat it better than you will.

Love should feel good. It should not feel bad. Love should make you want to be a better person, it should not lead you to do something self destructive. Love is not demanding of your spirit but lifts it and makes it glow. Love is a good thing. Anything less is lust, deep friendship or attraction. So the sloppiness aside, the question remains, how can you tell you are in love?
There is no easy way to find the truth behind your feelings or the feelings of another person. If you agree with 7 of the following 8 statements you are probably in love.

1.    The object of your affections makes you feel special and good about yourself.
2.    If/when you feel jealous it is always fleeting; you trust your partner not to betray you or hurt your relationship.
3.    Nothing makes you feel as serene as when you and your partner are together.
4.    When you fight with your partner you usually make up within a few hours and you always agree that nothing is more important than you both being able to express your true feelings (even if they sometimes cause conflict).
5.    Your partner never asks you to choose between him/her and your loyalties to your family and friends - if you do choose him/her over them you always have a good reason and it is always YOUR decision and your decision alone.
6.    Neither you nor your partner feels the need to test the other’s loyalties or feelings.
7.    You are more yourself when with your partner than you are with anybody else.
8.    If sex is part of your relationship it is by mutual desire and agreement without the slightest hint of commitment testing or persuasion.

HUG is just a three sweet letter word but is regarded as the best medicine to heal broken hearts. A beautiful quote by Shel Silverstein
“I will not play at tug o’ war
I’d rather play at hug o’ war,
where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs….”
Sometimes, hugs are a romantic exchange. A hug may also be exchanged as a sign of support and comfort. A hug can be a demonstration of affection and emotional warmth, sometimes arising out of joy or happiness at meeting someone. Hugs are an important expression of affection. By hugging someone, you remind them that you care about them and support them. If you’re angry at a loved one, hug that person.  And mean it.  You may not want to hug - which is all the more reason to do so.  It’s hard to stay angry when someone shows they love you, and that’s precisely what happens when we hug each other. Here are few steps to give a good hug to your loved one –
Ø      Approach the person
Friend Hug (girls): Approach caringly, sometimes humorously, and smile.

Friend Hug (guys): Approach quickly, usually not looking them in the eye.

Lover Hug: It doesn’t matter who starts this; either can make it just as romantic. When approaching, put your hands on their shoulders and look them in the eyes. Say you love them, how much you care for them, and how much you are loving every second with them. Then fall into each other and hug with all your heart.
Ø      Embrace. Lean forward and wrap your arms around the person.
Friend Hug (girls): Close your eyes and think about how much you love your friend when hugging. Press as much as you feel like. (But don’t squish!)

Friend Hug (guys): Embrace strongly, and clap each other on the top of your backs. If it’s an emotional moment, keep in the hugged position for a brief moment and do not clap each other’s backs.

Lover Hug: Extend your arms toward him and hold them around his neck and shoulders. Lean as close as possible and press your torso against his. Avoid holding your arms below his shoulders and/or embracing strongly and tensely.

Ø      Don’t hug too tightly. The best way to judge how tight or loose to hug is to let whomever your hugging tells you by how hard they squeeze. If they are soft, be soft back; if they like bear hugs and squeeze tightly, do the exact same back (but don’t suffocate him/her).
Ø      Don’t let go too early. A hug is a powerful way to communicate your caring for another person, as it can feel great and greatly improve one’s mood. If someone hugs you, they may want a long, loving hug (maybe they are upset or down), so just go along with it and hug them until they let go or loosen their hold.
Ø      HELPING TIP
Be welcoming when you hug. If either of you requested the hug, then be warm and loving and just make it feel like the person you’re hugging is safe from anything else and that you and whoever are the only people that matter at the moment.

A hug is worth a thousand words and is the shortest distance between friends. Sometimes it’s better to put love into hugs than to put it into words. A hug can break down barriers that sometimes words cannot do. At times, it can speak more than any words can say. We bond with a hug. We find comfort with a hug. We greet and separate from each other with a hug. We establish human contact and interaction with a hug. The beauty of a hug is in its simplicity. The gesture towards another human being, known or unknown is easy. It costs nothing but a simple act of caring and kindness.