While we are often taught that love is one of the ultimate goals in life, a necessary key to finding happiness in this world. While there is no denying the fact that love can bring joy into our lives, it’s much more complicated than that! Are you afraid of love?
The problem is that love has the ability to bring us both untold joy and incredible pain. The only way to open the door for one is to also accept the possibility of the other. This is a step of pure faith, believing that those who you trust will have your best interests at heart and protect your heart.
Why is love so unpredictable? There are a lot of factors at play. On one hand, we are overwhelmed with hormones and biological reactions to the concept of love and attraction, encouraging us to seek out our ‘perfect mate’ and build a life together. On the other hand, however, studies show that part of the experience of love can be explained as behavioral. We choose our actions, and those actions, in turn, trigger feelings. Therefore, we are capable of both creating and destroying these feelings of love each and every day.
Are you willing to take the risks necessary to seek true love, or do you build barriers to protect your heart from pain? These barriers may give you the impression of safety and security, but they may also prevent you from finding and connecting with the love of your life! The key to breaking these barriers down is to first identify why you are building them in the first place…
What are you afraid of love, according to your zodiac sign?
Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 19)
Bold, determined and adventurous, you certainly aren’t afraid to walk this world alone if you feel like it is the right path for you at this time. If there is one thing you fear, it is that anyone you bring into your life will try to hold you back or change you. This isn’t something you’re interested in settling for. In fact, you’d rather run alone and free then feel trapped or tied down. You’re afraid of love due to the fact that you’re afraid someone will try to put out that fire that burns so strongly within you. While opening up isn’t something that comes naturally to you, finding a partner in crime could make your adventures all that much more fun.
Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20)
It’s no secret that you’re stubborn and set in your ways. In fact, those around you will argue that you’re so hard-headed that you will build barriers around your heart simply to maintain the life that you know and love. The idea of letting someone into your world would mean welcoming change, and there is nothing that you fear more. The truth that you often don’t share is that deep down you’re a total romantic, longing to find ‘the one’ and build a solid life together. You just need to wrap your head around the idea of compromise.
Gemini (May 21 – Jun 20)
Flighty, indecisive and highly curious, you bounce through life from one interest to another refusing to slow down for anyone. While you are a HUGE flirt and love nothing more than the concept of love and romance, to settle into a relationship with someone would be to give up the idea that something better may be just around the corner at any moment. You accept this truth about yourself, however, you also fear that any attempt to settle down will end in heartbreak as you ultimately fall out of love. You need to trust that when you find ‘the one’, commitment will be anything but boring.
Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 22)
The most sensitive, compassionate and loving sign of the zodiac, it’s hard to believe that you would fear love in any situation. After all, your whole life is built on the concept of living with your heart on your sleeve, allowing it to guide your every move and decision in life. You love people with everything you’ve got, and as such you are no stranger to pain and heartbreak. The fear you face when it comes to life is a little different from most of the other signs. You believe so strongly in the existence of love and romance, that you actually fear the real thing isn’t going to live up to the image you’ve created within your own mind. Trust that when you find the one, it will fill your heart in a way you’ve never even dreamed.
Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 22)
As someone who has who prides yourself on the ability to bring love and happiness to the world around you, you have had to set fairly high expectations about what ‘love’ is. This can lead you to be too critical and selective about the people that you allow into your life. These incredibly high standards are hard to live up to, and when they lead you to push people away it can bring heartbreak and disappointment. This is what you fear, that you will never find someone ‘good enough’ to truly experience love for yourself. Don’t worry, that person is out there somewhere waiting for you.
Virgo (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
An extreme perfectionist, you will go to great lengths to hides any flaws, quirks or short-comings in your own personality and abilities from the rest of the world in order to create the impression that you’re the best of the best. The problem with this is that you live your life keeping everyone at a distance to avoid them seeing past the mask that you have created. This leads to your fear – you are afraid that when someone sees past these barriers that you have built, they will discover your true self and it won’t be ‘enough’. There is nothing that would break your heart more than to have someone confirm your fears that you aren’t worthy of love. We are all broken and imperfect, you just need to find someone that will love every imperfect piece of you.
Libra (Sept 23 – Oct 22)
You dream of true love and devotion in a partner, however, your fears have taught you to accept a version of love that is far from that which you have always longed for. Rather than holding out for the ‘real thing’ you have settled for casual flings and hookups time and time again. This has, in turn, fed into your fear that when it comes down to it, you will spend your entire life alone. It’s not that you don’t believe that love can happen, you see others blessed with exactly what you dream of experiencing first hand, but you begin to doubt that it will ever happen for you. It may seem counterproductive, but you need to stay single for a while if you’re going to eventually find ‘the one’. This will give you the time and space to assess whether someone is really looking for the whole package or just a one-night stand.
Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 21)
Throughout your life you have always kept the world at a distance, being seen as the mysterious one that lurks in the shadows. Despite your strong, determined and independent personality, the true reason for the barriers that you have created is merely fear. You fear being betrayed or hurt so much that you can’t see past the potential negatives that love can bring. You are fully prepared to completely devote yourself to another, possessing a level of loyalty that most can only dream to be true. However, you expect that same loyalty in return and you are afraid that you will never be able to find it. I’m not saying you should discard your expectations altogether but maintain faith that there are still good people out there.
Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
If there is one thing that you absolutely CANNOT tolerate in life, it’s boredom. You are an adventure seeker, always on the lookout for your next new experience, and you’re not about to change your ways for anyone regardless of what future they may be able to offer you. You need to find a partner in this life who will embrace your lifestyle, but you know that this may not be easy. As a result, you fear being tied down and trapped in a life of monotony. Associating this with a long-term commitment, you find yourself avoiding the concept of an ongoing relationship altogether. Rest assured, there are people out there who will not only accept your exciting way of life but will embrace it. You just need to hold onto hope long enough to find them.
Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Of all the signs, you are the most logical and intellectually minded. As a result, you have established your life as free from emotion as humanly possible, which has been no easy feat. You see love, along with most other emotions, as being reckless, unpredictable and irresponsible. You pride yourself in succeeding in everything that you do, but there is no guarantee that you will succeed when you seek love and romance in your life. This is frightening to you. It’s going to involve accepting that you can’t control and predict everything in life, true love lies in the ‘unknown’ and the ‘uncomfortable’. Once you get past these fears, you will open yourself up to discover the strengths that love can bring into your life.
Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
There is no denying that you are a unique individual, standing strong and proud in your own image. You refuse to compromise for anyone, and no amount of love or romance is going to convince you otherwise. When you consider the idea of searching for a partner in life, you quickly find yourself overwhelmed by your fear that people are going to try to change you, force you to conform. This leads you to engage in causal relationships. The moment you think someone may be trying to change your or question who you are as a person, you simply disappear in the night. However, this prevents you from establishing any real connection, which is what you truly desire. If you are going to find a life partner, you’ll have to start by accepting that you need to lower these barriers just a little and actually let someone into your life.
Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
Always the dreamer, you grew up picturing your fairy-tale romance. However, when your loving heart was sent out into this harsh, negative world you quickly found yourself retreating, questioning whether there are any genuine people out there. You want to find that sweep you off your feet type of romance, but you’re so afraid of being hurt that you have literally built a fortress around your heart. True love doesn’t have to be reserved for your daydreams, but it will require you to take a chance and risk being hurt. Consider, for a moment, how amazing it will be when you find ‘the one’ and you just may find your motivation to step out of your comfort zone and really give this an honest try.
Image via Conscious Reminder