‘Most people think about love as a feeling,’ says David Richo, ‘but love is not a lot a feeling as a means of being present.’ With this reserve, Richo offers a brand new perspective on love and relationships–one that focuses not on obtaining an ideal partner, but on becoming a more loving and reasonable person. Sketching on the Buddhist idea of mindfulness, How exactly to Be a grown-up in Interactions explores five hallmarks of conscious loving and how they play a key role in our relationships throughout life:

1..Read Even more about How to Be a grown-up in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving Attention to the present instant; observing, listening, and noticing all the emotions at play in our relationships.

2. Acceptance of ourselves as well as others just like we are.

3. Appreciation of most our presents, our limits, our longings, and our poignant individual predicament.

4. Affection shown through keeping and touching in respectful methods.

5. Allowing existence and want to end up being just as they are, with all their ecstasy and ache, without aiming to take control.

When deeply understood and applied, these five simple concepts–what Richo calls the five A’s–form the basis of mature love. They help us to go away from judgment, dread, and blame to a position of openness, compassion, and realism about existence and relationships. By giving and getting these five A’s, romantic relationships become deeper and even more meaningful, plus they become a ground for personal change.