What Is Love Bombing? Red Flags To Look Out For

Modern relationships are complicated and are affected by a lot of situations and conditions. There are different new terms to define various phases of a relationship and one of them is love bombing. Here's what it is and how to differentiate it from healthy relationship habits.

There are various traits of a toxic relationship. Some of them are straight away oppressive like verbal and physical abuse while others are more snide and are disguised as concern and thoughtfulness while they are just manipulation and obsession.

Love bombing is one such trait of a toxic relationship in which a person manipulates their partner through grand gestures like buying expensive gifts and constant compliments. While they may seem genuine and kind, in the case of love bombing, they are just a way to indebt a person and manipulate them. However, it can be really hard to differentiate between genuine gestures of love and love bombing.

There are people who actually believe in princess treatment while others do it simply to control their partner. Reddit users explain how you can identify whether your relationship is inflicted by love bombing or not.

What Is Love Bombing?

Reddit page @AskWomen shared a thread that asked women what is the boundary between love bombing and early relationship enthusiasm. Love bombing is a form of manipulation that includes gestures that may seem too fast, or too soon in a relationship. It is similar to a person falling madly in love with you after meeting you for the first time. Love doesn't grow overnight, it is a deeper connection that takes time to build.

People try to act cool in the initial stages of a relationship so that they may not seem over-affectionate or over-enthusiastic during the beginning stages of a relationship.

It is completely okay to give some time and understand each other better. In fact, over-enthusiasm and affection very early in a relationship seem a bit suspicious to some people. However, there are also people who are not shy to show that they are madly in love after just meeting you for the second time. While this may sound romantic and out-of-a-story-book situation, it can be a sign of love bombing.

• A user clarified that while enthusiasm in the early stages of a relationship can be justified, it turns into love bombing if it seems more like a competition like 'No one can love you more than me'. Display of affection should actually be mutual so that no one person feels like they are doing or expressing too much.
• Relationships should go at a pace at which both people are comfortable and if the other person is being overly affectionate, they should talk it out. If the person understands this and gives you time to navigate through everything, that's a green flag. If the person continues their grand gestures despite you asking them to stop and telling them it makes you uncomfortable, it may be love bombing.
• A user explained that if it feels like the other person is talking about love and soulmates but is not trying to know you better and on a deeper level, it is a sign of love bombing. They buy bouquets and diamond necklaces but don't know what you like or what is uncomfortable for you. They call you perfect but are just trying to create a pretty picture instead of loving your flaws and helping you in overcoming your insecurities. That's what love bombing looks like.

It might happen that the person actually falls in love with you but their grand gestures may seem to be too early. In such cases, talk with them and tell them if that's making you uncomfortable, if they genuinely love you, they will respect your boundaries. That is a major sign that differentiates love from love bombing.

Remember, princess treatment may sound good in fiction but in real life, it can be "too good to be true". Make sure you are aware of the intentions of your partner and clear it out with them so that you don't find yourself in the middle of a toxic relationship.