Man shares one silly sign that shows your partner trusts you — and even they don't know about it

Relationship coach Samantha Bove, who goes by @samantha.bove on Instagram, recently shared a moment with her husband that’s making people rethink what safety in a relationship really looks like. In the video that was posted on August 3 and has since gained 387,000 views and 27,000 likes, Bove asked her husband to repeat what he’d told her earlier — something that had moved her and comforted her soul.

"Let your belly go," he said. When she asked why, he explained, "Because a soft belly is a sign of trust. It’s a sign that you’re open and that you’re comfortable. And if you don’t have a soft belly or if you can’t do a soft belly in there," pointing at their home, "then there are other places in our relationship that you’re probably holding back and you’re not comfortable, or in life that you’re probably holding back and you’re not comfortable. So a good place to practice it is in the safety of our home, when you can just let loose and feel free." To him, something as unguarded as relaxing your body signals a deeper willingness to be seen and accepted as you are.

In the post’s caption, Bove expanded on that idea. She reminded her followers that love doesn’t wait for you to be fully "healed" or perfected. Being single can be a sacred time to explore patterns, challenge old stories, and understand yourself more deeply, but healing isn’t meant to be a lifelong prison of self-improvement. Being in love, she wrote, can also be part of the healing, revealing parts of you that you couldn’t access alone. Her husband's words reflected a sense of emotional safety that most women long for in their partners. 

For many, that kind of safety in a relationship is the real luxury. The safety he’s describing mirrors what relationship researchers call relational self-change. A study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that when people feel secure and cared for in a close relationship, they often experience positive self-expansion, gaining traits, confidence, and comfort in ways they wouldn’t have on their own. That growth is not about becoming perfect but becoming more of yourself in the presence of someone who makes you feel safe enough to do so.

Viewers, especially women, were moved by the video and expressed how they felt both seen and understood through his perspective. @rachailaa wrote, "'A soft belly is a sign of trust.' Thank you, sir. Thank you for this healing." @hotchillimama commented, "That’s one of the loveliest things I’ve ever heard a man say to a woman. May this kind of love find me." @lostnativeproject shared, "When my husband touches my belly, I immediately get uncomfortable because of my insecurities. He says he loves it, it’s soft to touch, and he loves caressing every part of me. I’m getting used to it, not because he wants to touch it, but because it’s something I deserve to heal."

@juliapartyka added, "The beauty here is on so many levels. Bless this union and all the desires here from the ladies who are longing for their man. May each of you meet your man in the most perfect way." @hawtmess_78 noted, "This is the only love we all deserve. I’ve been single for seven years, and when people say, 'You’re so beautiful, though, why are you single?!' I tell them I’m waiting to feel this safe and comfortable, to show my soft belly with the utmost confidence."

You can follow Samantha Bove (@samantha.bove) on Instagram for more relationship coaching content.