How do I know if I'm in love or just afraid of being alone?

Mirabai knew the difference because she felt it in her body. Real love—the kind worth examining—makes you more yourself, not less. It expands your sense of what's possible. Fear masquerading as love does the opposite: it contracts you, makes you smaller, keeps you checking your phone at 2 AM wondering if you're enough. Here's what to notice: Does this person make you curious about yourself? Do you want to become more honest, more alive around them? Or are you performing a version of yourself you think they'll accept? Are you choosing them, or are you choosing the feeling of being chosen? Mirabai's devotion to Krishna was so fierce because it wasn't about need—it was about recognition. She already knew who she was. The love deepened that knowing. So sit with this: If this person left tomorrow, would you still know yourself? Would you still be whole? If the answer is no, you're probably loving the wrong thing. You're loving the escape, not the person. And that's worth grieving, actually. It's the first step toward real love.