Love is a potent force. People with feelings of love experience a rush of dopamine and other powerful brain chemicals. And while women dream to be loved wholesomely and in the right manner, however, a dangerous form of love is obsession. For some people, these feelings are so powerful that they become obsessed with keeping and controlling the person they love. Here are a few signs of them.

1. He tries to intimidate other guys to keep them away from you. These type of guys do not want to see you with any other male human but your father and brother (if any). Sometimes, they are overt about this. Other times, the only reason you’ll know is that the guys he tried to scare off will approach you in private or suddenly bail.

2. You’ve caught him lingering around places you go, without any reason other than to see you. You may find this cute until you find out that he cannot bear knowing that you are out all alone. The real question is, are you a child?Acting like a stalker who sees you as a subject of surveillance is a violation of healthy boundaries. This is a sign of obsession — unhealthy obsession.

3. He tries to make it impossible for you to leave him. I was once with a man who frequently mentioned that he will never leave me even if I am tired of him. When I first met him, he didn’t fail to mention each time that he is “going nowhere”. This is a growing sign of obsession not many can recognize.

4. You get the feeling that he’s in love with the idea of you rather than the real you. From personal experience, I can tell you that a man who’s into the idea of being with a girl studying a great course (E.g Nursing) is more likely to be obsessed than he is to actually be in love with the real you.

5. When your lover turns into a stalker. A relationship is all about trust. But there are some people who have this habit of keeping track of their lover’s activities. And can social media make it any easier. This toxic behavior should not be confused with concern and love.

6. Too clingy. Most relationships have a picture-perfect beginning where the lovers want to share every detail of their daily life with each other. However, if he/she wants you both to spend every moment together, basically, your partner wants your world to revolve around him/her. Such clingy behaviour can be considered a red flag.

7. You feel like he’s suffocating you. He has decided that he must be with you, he must be near you, and he must treat you a certain way, regardless of what you’ve said you want.

Obsession isn’t cute. It’s not charming, it’s terrifying, And while someone who is obsessed with you rather than in love with you may not be any more likely to end up wearing your skin as a suit than he is to become your plucky, adorable husband, letting him get too close could come with some devastating potential consequences.