We’ve all been there — daydreaming about a person, romanticizing every small interaction and convincing ourselves that maybe, just maybe, this could be something real. Welcome to the delulu dilemma, where hope meets delusion, and reality is a distant afterthought.

Being “delulu” — delusional, for the uninitiated — in dating isn’t always a bad thing. A little optimism keeps things exciting. It’s what makes the talking stage fun, what fuels the what-if scenarios and what keeps us from giving up on love entirely. But the danger comes when the delusion outweighs reality — when a two-second glance turns into “he’s obsessed with me,” or when basic human decency is mistaken for soulmate behavior.

The hardest part about being delulu is knowing when to snap out of it. Sometimes, the signs are all there — they’re inconsistent, they’re giving you the bare minimum and they’ve literally said they don’t want a relationship — but the fantasy version of them is just so much better. It’s easy to ignore the red flags when the version of them in your head is perfect.

So, how do you keep yourself from falling too deep? Simple: match energy, not potential. If someone likes you, you won’t have to decode their actions or justify their lack of effort. And if you find yourself making excuses for them more than you’re actually enjoying their company, it might be time to step out of the delulu and into reality. Because while a little delusion is fun, the real thing is always better.

Emma Bulman is a junior graphic communications major from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Emma can be reached at [email protected].