Your Guide To Manifesting Your True Love

The concept of manifestating your dreams may have once been a new-age idea, but in recent decades, many stand firmly by the belief that you can, indeed, have what you want by using the power of your thoughts. "Manifestation is intentionally creating your reality through your beliefs and actions," says manifestation coach Maria Concha, in an interview with Brides. 

It really doesn't sound that wild when you think about it. Typically in life, when we want something, we think about it and take action. Maybe we're all powerful magicians, or maybe manifestation is just another way of saying "if you can dream it, you can achieve it."

So, if it's a soulmate you're wanting to manifest, you just have to have faith, right? Sort of. "The measured vibration of love is a high frequency and can expand and grow when a person has loving thoughts and lives a loving life," says mental health counselor, life coach, and reiki practitioner Carrie Mead, in an interview with Shape. Manifesting love is more about infusing your whole life with love and here are the steps to take in order to make that happen.

A healthy, nurturing relationship isn't something everyone is familiar with. Even if it arrives at your doorstep, you might not recognize it, or be able to keep up with it if you don't yet understand that you are totally worthy of it. A healing era may be necessary before we can truly accept that we deserve healthy love.

"Simply put, if you don't feel worthy of the kind of partner or relationship that you really want, it's either not going to manifest into your reality, or it will, and you'll sabotage it," love and relationship coach at Love Works Nicole Moore tells Shape. "To manifest great love, you want to focus daily on feelings of being worthy and deserving of that which you seek."

Imagining your future relationship as though it's happening now, in great detail, is a speedway to manifestation. In Law of Attraction speak, this is called visualization. What does a Saturday look like for you and your true love? What kind of conversations do you have? Do you hike together or meet up with friends for brunch? What restaurants do you frequent together? How do you celebrate anniversaries? How do you resolve conflict? A key piece of visualization that seems to fall to the wayside is how it would feel if you had what you desire (via Forbes). What emotions do you experience when you picture your true love? What does it actually feel like? Ask yourself all these questions and feel the answers, imagining them in detail. 

To manifest love, you have to live as though you already have it. Do you know someone who has the type of romantic relationship you'd like to have someday in the not-so-distant future? What kind of habits and hobbies does this couple have? You can shift your life in that direction by thinking and feeling as if it's already there. Catch yourself mid-negative thought and evolve into the future version of yourself who is worthy, who has love, and who is empowered, by simply acting like that's your reality.

"Embody the person that already has this love in their life," advises manifestation coach Maria Concha, per Brides. "Act and behave as if your dream person has already manifested. Embody the version of you that has this relationship." Concha adds that to truly act like you have found your love already, you need to stop "obsessing over an outcome" and instead focus on "doing things that make you feel good regardless of a partner being in your life or not."

Sometimes, when we're in a transitional period and feeling a bit lost and down, or we just aren't getting the results we'd like in life, we need to shift the focus away from ourselves and give to others. Helping others, whether it's offering a shoulder to lean on or being there to help a friend, is also a way to help ourselves. According to Psychology Today, helping others can be effective in easing depression and anxiety, and can be an instant mood booster (though this shouldn't be a substitute for other treatment options). So rather than focusing on what you don't currently have (read: the romantic relationship you want), try transmuting all that energy into a positive force and focus on someone else who could use a helping hand. 

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Developing a practice of infusing your life with love from all angles is another way to enhance your chances of bringing true love into your life. Friendships, family, coworkers, pets, even strangers — there are chances to be loving and receive love everywhere. But the most guaranteed way to feel love right now is to give it to yourself. 

According to author and speaker Natalie Ledwell of Mind Movies, the more you show yourself love and put yourself first, the more outside love you can expect to receive. Showing yourself love often involves taking really good care of yourself through exercise and nutrition, plus a solid commitment to me-time, where you make space in your life for the things that make you the happiest. 

Practicing self-love may feel foreign and uncomfortable. It also likely won't happen overnight, but take baby steps. If you can start the day with a mindfulness practice and a few "I am" positive affirmations, you can set the tone for a loving day.

Lastly, a key phase of the manifestation process is to surrender and trust the process. Many claim that love showed up when they finally let go and were truly loving themselves, which supports the theory that releasing your worries and trusting the process is a powerful manifestation technique. As frustrating as that may be, one of the benefits of surrendering is that you will likely feel complete as you are — finally. And if things go south with a new love interest, you've still got you, your new loving habits, and a mindset of possibility.

According to TheLawOfAttraction.com, it's important not to "fret about when you're going to find your soulmate." By trusting the process, you'll be able to surrender and accept that, sooner or later, love is going to manifest in your life. And releasing that tension will put you on the same vibrational wavelength as the love you're trying to attract, which will help it to manifest even faster.