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You can be yourself -

You feel safe when you’re with this person. You can be honest and open without fear of repercussions. Your anxieties and fears wash away.

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You protect each other -

The person will be protective of you in the face of threats. These threats don’t need to be physical–they could simply try to protect you against yourself in motivating you to quit harmful habits.

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You complete each other -

There are parts of you that are weak and that you never really fully understood. Maybe you’re bad at cooking, or find it hard to speak about your feelings, and these things happen to be your partner's strengths.

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You forgive and move on from arguments -

You won't always be completely calm with each other and agree on everything. However, when you do lose your tempers with each other and argue, you can work it out and forgive each other.

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You come first for them -

Finding your soulmate implies that you have found love. If you love someone, their happiness is as important as your own. In a sense, your soulmate’s happiness comes before your own.

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You celebrate each others' differences -

Soulmates need not be from the same background, be of the same ethnicity, practice the same religion, and so on. They respect and celebrate each other’s differences.

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Having a sense of what the other is thinking -

Soulmates know what each other are thinking and feeling more so than other person. Sure, they won’t know everything, which is where communication comes in, but it sure feels like they know a lot!

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That gut feeling -

You feel it in your gut that this is the right person. You will not have eyes or interest in anyone else in a romantic sense, because you will know in your heart that you have found “the one.”

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The timing is right -

Finding love is all about timing. The timing has to be right. Even if you haven't met the person yet, you feel it in your bones that you’re ready to meet them.

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Over time, you will understand each other instinctually -

You will feel like this person understands you instinctively more than anyone ever has before. You barely have to describe to them how you’re feeling–they just know. 

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It feels like you've known each other forever -

You may even just know the person for a few months, but somehow it feels like they’ve been around forever.

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You are indispensable to each other -

You will feel indispensable to each other. This is not to say that you cannot have your independence, but simply neither of you feels replaceable.

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You're always there for one another -

You are there to help each other. You will help because you want to make their life easier, and because you love them.

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You support each other's goals -

Soulmates will support each other’s goals. Whether it be going back to school, starting a new job, or getting back to the gym, soulmates recognize each other’s needs and stand strong for each other.

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The tough conversations are met head on -

Soulmates can have tough conversations. They may not be easy, but they are both willing to have them for the sake of the future. When they come to an end, they both understand each other better and can move on.

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You respect each other's need for alone time -

You can respect each other as individuals and each other’s need for time apart. In fact, it brings you closer together.

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You never feel silenced -

You feel like you can voice your opinion, even if it is negative. Communication is key, and it's open.

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You can't remember or imagine life without them -

A common part of falling in love or finding your soulmate is that you don’t really remember what life was like before they came along.

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You think of each other throughout the day -

When you’re not together, they cross your mind throughout the day. It’s not an obsession and you can concentrate on your own day, but you wonder how each other are doing.

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Enjoying each others quirks -

Soulmates will enjoy each other’s quirks. That strange way that someone rubs their nose or grunts during eating will probably appear “cute” to their soulmate.

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Similar values -

Your values are in alignment. Even though you are not the same, you feel like you want most of the same things. You feel similarly about family, money, possessions, and so on.

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You know they're not perfect -

The person is flawed, as we all are. Maybe they're notoriously tardy, or could be a bit better at communicating. But the fact that they don't hide this from you, and that you can recognize they're not perfect, makes the relationship real. Oh, and you're not perfect either!

See also: Why perfection isn't always perfect

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