An odd simile exists where it states that life is like a very big grocery store, where people come and go to constantly pick and choose products that will probably benefit them for a short while because one thing about groceries—their products never last. However, in order to know the shelf life of products we avail ourselves of, there is this thing we always look for—labels. What makes it so special that the first thing we look for at everything we find are labels? Is it because it gives us its identity? Or maybe it just gives us that unsaid feeling of assurance, that we almost always look for. But what happens when something meaningful exists without a label?
Some of the most valuable things in life cannot be categorized, yet we still feel their presence and impact. Does the absence of a label make them any less real? Or does it free us from the constraints of definitions, allowing love to exist in its purest, most genuine form? Whatever the reason is, they exist and it's up to us to weigh its importance. Should it matter? Or should I just go with the flow to see where it takes me? Because maybe, like groceries, some things are meant to be enjoyed at the moment without worrying about expiration dates or fixed identities. Maybe love, in its purest form, is not about labels—but about the feeling itself, unspoken yet deeply understood.
Living In The Unknown: The Challenge of No-Label Relationships
No-label relationships have become more common in a world where people are seeking freedom from the usual rules. On one hand, it’s like exploring a city with no map—no plans, no directions, just two people discovering each other in uncharted territory. There’s an excitement in the unknown, where you’re not focused on the destination but on the moments that unfold along the way. But as time passes, the absence of a label starts to create confusion. You’re left wondering: What exactly are we?
Without that title, it’s hard to know where you fit in someone else’s life. Are you more than just a friend? Do they see you the same way you see them? These questions linger in the background, shaping your feelings, yet you may never get a clear answer. And even if you do seek clarity, you might not get the answers you’re looking for. Sometimes, the hardest thing about no-label relationships is not knowing where you stand—whether you’re truly valued or simply a temporary presence.
For Kenneth, a 24-year-old college student, labels in relationships impose unnecessary limitations, adding expectations that don’t always align with how love naturally unfolds. As someone currently in a no-label relationship, he describes it as successful: “Clear communication and mutual agreement on important matters in the relationship are a must.” While he prefers not to define his relationship with a title, he still believes in setting boundaries. For him, the difference lies in how these boundaries are established—not through the unspoken rules that often come with labels, but through open conversations and mutual understanding.
It is true that communication is one of the greatest keys to maintaining a healthy relationship, but in one that has no label, it serves more than just its purpose. It gives more than just assurance because too much communication can lead to many assumptions. Assumptions will then lead to countless questions, questioning the status of this so-called “relationship” and despite feeling the bliss of excitement—we will then realize that something seems to be missing. Even with the endless sweet words and compliments, you seem to be wanting and longing for more.
When Expectations Aren’t Defined: The Silent Boundaries
Without clear labels, relationships often settle into vague expectations. It’s like trying to follow a map with missing directions. You can guess where you’re meant to go, but you can never be sure you’re headed in the right direction. Expectations build up quietly, and without anyone voicing them, they can easily get confused. What happens when someone begins to expect more than the other person is willing to give? How do you know what’s okay and what’s not, when nothing is defined?
In no-label relationships, expectations are usually seen as deal breakers because, in the first place, it is in its nature that you are not supposed to expect. From the word itself, no label, meaning you have nothing to hold on to. When frustration and confusion combine, we often find ourselves reminiscing through the empty promises and sweet compliments that somehow made us feel that any of this has a chance of upgrading into something different, to something more. In reality, those words were empty for a reason. It was said to make us happy at that moment, and at that moment only.
At times you’re left questioning whether you have the right to ask for more, know that you really don’t have that right unless it was talked about between you two. When things start to feel unclear, it’s easy to doubt your worth in someone else’s life. The absence of a label doesn’t make the feelings less real—it just makes it harder to understand how much of your heart you should invest. The gambling game starts and the real question starts to arise, should I go all in?
The Quiet Waiting: Looking for Answers Without Asking
In a no-label relationship, it often feels like you’re just waiting for something to change. You wait for them to see what you see, for the relationship to evolve into something more serious. But waiting can be exhausting when you don’t know if they’re on the same page. Every moment without clarity builds tension, like holding your breath while wondering when, or if, things will finally make sense.
Thoughts slowly fill up our minds and the lingering thoughts of what-ifs haunt our system. No-label relationships either lead to something serious or simply nowhere. The probability of us going back to being strangers makes us wonder why we started in the first place. After a long day of fun conversations, we are left with so many unanswered questions which will then lead to waiting. Waiting for who touches the sensitive topic first, waiting for who has the guts to question our so-called “relationship”.
It's a quiet kind of waiting—never quite sure of your place in their life. You can enjoy the moments you share, but there’s always a part of you wondering if you’re just a temporary chapter in their story. This sense of uncertainty can eventually wear you down. Love is supposed to bring joy, not anxiety. But in a no-label relationship, it’s hard to escape that constant question: Am I truly wanted here? or am I just an option?
Going with the flow: Accepting love without labels
Love exists in different forms, and it doesn’t always have to be between just two people. It exists in families, friendships, and even in our pets. All of which has the same ground of having no standards when it comes to love because as human beings, we are supposed to give love and love well. This goes to say that we love people even without the certainty of what comes next. Despite the never-ending questions and complicated feelings, at the end of the day, we realize that we love them for who they are. It doesn’t matter how it ends because the way it once felt will forever linger.
Love is a feeling intertwined with happiness, so with or without labels, as long as it feels that way—we are valid. All of the questions, yearnings, and kilig happened for that specific reason—to make us happy. But love, as freeing as it may seem, is incomplete without its challenges. It is not just about happiness; it is also about effort, understanding, and sometimes, pain. It is easy to romanticize the idea of love, to believe that it should always feel light and effortless. But the truth is, that love requires us to give, to compromise, and to face the uncertainties that come with it.
It may feel natural to surrender to the flow and let love take its course without questioning where it is leading. But love, at its deepest, is not just about going along with whatever happens. Our greatest desire is not simply to drift—it is to strive, to build, to create something meaningful. Sometimes, following the river’s current can lead us to an open sea of endless possibilities, but other times, it can bring us to an abrupt, unexpected end.
That is the reality of love without labels. It is both freeing and uncertain. To go with the flow is to accept that love can take us anywhere—that it may stay, it may change, or it may slip away. And in the end, the real question is not just whether we choose to follow the current, but whether we are truly ready for wherever it may lead.
Love at Your Own Risk: A Choice Only You Can Make
At the end of the day, it all leads back to the odd simile that life is like a big grocery store, where we are given the chance to scan every aisle of it. We have a choice: what to add to our cart and what stays on those shelves. Most of the time, we come prepared with a list, picking up only what we think we need. But then something catches our eye—our favorite chocolate bar, a bag of chips, a new snack we’ve never tried. Without much thought, we grab it, ignoring the label, because at that moment, all that matters is the excitement of indulging in something we enjoy. But just like picking something off the shelf without reading its contents, love without labels comes with its own risks. We don’t always know what we’re getting into, and sometimes we only realize what it truly means when it’s too late.
At some point, we have to make a choice. Are we willing to embrace uncertainty, knowing that things could go either way? Can we handle the possibilities—the excitement, the confusion, the heartbreak, or even the unexpected happiness that comes with it? Love without labels can be liberating, but it also requires courage. It’s easy to enjoy the moment, but when reality sinks in, we must ask ourselves: can we truly stand by the choices we make, no matter where they lead?
Because love—labeled or not—is still a commitment to something. And whether we like it or not, every choice we make shapes the future that awaits us. We can’t avoid the consequences of what we allow into our lives. Just like in the grocery store, where the final bill reflects every item we placed in our cart, love, too, has a price. And when it’s time to check out, we’ll have to face whatever comes next, whether it’s fulfillment, regret, or the realization that maybe, just maybe, we should have read and acknowledged the label first.
Article: Jolyn Audrey Madrilejos, Rain Ogabar, and Kristel Dawn Pequit Graphics: Jan Mike Cabangin
Kommentare