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Don't wait for fireworks!

A 25-year-old wonders if soul mates are real and if they should wait for a head-over-heels feeling, worried about settling if they can't find 'the one.'

Answered by Rabbi Raffi Bilek, LCSW-C

Question

Is there a real thing as a Soul Mate? I can't find the ONE and when he isn't the ONE I feel like I will feel like I am settling for the whole rest of my life. Do I need to wait for that head over heels feeling? I am 25 and honestly I don't think I have never had that since I was a kid with a crush, but never as an adult and never with a person I have been in a relationship with.

Whether there is such a thing as a soulmate or "the one" is probably a matter for religious discussion.  Regardless of one's beliefs, though, the head-over-heels feeling is definitely NOT a prerequisite to having a good, healthy relationship (and in fact it is often detrimental).  The expectation of "fireworks" is a myth of Western society.  Love is based on a deep knowledge of another person, not on a feeling of excitement.  Feelings like that inevitably die down. A solid relationship is built from the foundation up, so that loving feelings develop; it does not "happen" by running into someone who superficially looks nice, attractive, interesting and then assuming that it will go "happily ever after" (that's an ending in fairy tales, not in real life!).

In short, no, you don't have to wait for that feeling.  Relationships are built, not found.  How to build them is a much larger post!

Lightly edited for readability. This question and the expert’s answer were edited by AI for spelling, grammar, and formatting only — the original wording and meaning are unchanged. See how we moderate.

About the Expert

Rabbi Raffi Bilek

LCSW-C

Baltimore, United States of America

Specialties

Child or Adolescent Issues, Life Coaching, Spirituality, Parenting, Domestic Abuse or Domestic Violence, Relationship Issues, Finding Your Purpose in Life

License

my_license #19558