Most of us are desperately looking for true love. That's why it's easy to confuse a beautiful and liberating emotion with a toxic one.

When you fall in love, your judgment isn't as clear. Accordingly, before getting into a relationship, you should know the genuine differences between true love and toxic love.

Support

In a real relationship, partners have each other's backs. They understand the need for self-growth, and they encourage it.

Toxic love is focused on a relationship, so much so that it looks like an obsession. It's intense, insecure, and partners are not fulfilling their basic needs because they are too occupied with being in that relationship.

Communication

True love is honest, sometimes loud, but the partners have the freedom to tell each other pretty much anything.

Your partner isn't just someone you sleep with. It's a person who will give you advice, try to be understanding and supportive.

Toxic relationships aren't quite so welcoming to conversations. Instead, partners are placing blame, manipulate each other, and even small talk can turn into a nasty fight.

Intimacy

When it comes to bedroom activities and everything it involves, real lovers can be quite intense and passionate. The element of intimacy gives you the freedom to explore and talk openly about your desires and fantasies.

The term intimacy is lost on toxic lovers. Sex can be great because it's used to compensate for all the missing elements from the relationship.

If your only connection to someone is through sex, that is not love. It's not even friends with benefits. It's just great sex, casual, without any sense of commitment. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you don't label it as love.

Interests

It's healthy to have your group of friends, various interests, taste in music… As long as your partner is accepting, you have nothing to worry about. You're separate individuals, and you respect that.

The trouble with toxic love comes from total involvement in the relationship. As a way of saving the partnership, people become codependent. Some can't even make the most straightforward decisions without their partner, and there's nothing healthy about it.

Acceptance

If your partner loves you and cherishes you, despite your flaws, it's part of a healthy, real loving relationship.

True love doesn't want to change you. It can inspire you to be better and grow, but not because your partner said so.

Toxic lovers will use each other's flaws against them. It's a dangerous game, and the more cracks start to show, the bigger chances are for more explosive fights and anger outbursts.

It's not hard to understand differences; however, admitting to yourself that you're not part of a real love story is hurtful. But why would you waste time and energy on something that's not even real?

The critical element which separates true love from toxic is freedom. Freedom to accept, to say what's on your mind, to express yourself, and choose your path. Toxic love doesn't allow it because it breaks the illusion. And it would be best if you walked away before you got even more hurt.