Love Language: Words of Affirmation

Fourth in our contemplation of the Five Love Languages: Words of Affirmation. 

What does "Words of Affirmation" look like?  

Words of Affirmation centers around verbal and written communication that conveys love, affection, and appreciation to another person. Some of the common examples I found online include statements such as: "Everything is better when you're here." "I couldn't do this without you." "You are doing such a great job. I’m really proud of you." "Your support means so much to me." "You’re an inspiration!"

I'm half-and-half on this love language, the way it is described on the interwebs.

On the one hand, I do not enjoy statements such as, "I couldn't do this without you," because that makes a situation seem like an obligation. And I do not want to be an inspiration, or be the source of someone else's moment of pride -- those sentiments seem to me, to put pressure on a person to be a certain way, to do certain things. No one needs that. 

On the other hand, Words are extremely important to me. Perhaps excessively so. My career has been built around selecting words with precision and care; I try to use the same precision and care when I am writing for myself or to other people as well.  (This is why written communication is preferable for me, because it allows me time to think over and choose my words carefully. I don't think quickly on my feet when I am speaking, and that makes verbal communication much harder for me.)

Because I am not good at ascertaining underlying motivations or subtleties, I rely very heavily on the actual Words that are used. But then I have to use my knowledge of such Words to try to figure out full context and meaning, and I may improperly hyperfixate on particular Words and lose the whole picture. 

I get stuck on Words. It's problematic. I'm working on it. 

That being said, perhaps a subsection of this love language -- "Words" (without "Of Affirmation") -- would be the language that speaks most to me. Words -- plain, genuine, without imputation or sarcasm -- are everything. 

I am glad to see you.

I am here for you. 

Thank you for listening.