How to Survive Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day has become a very commercialized occasion. Come February, all the stores at the malls are offering discounts; flowers becomes an overpriced entity; and eating lots of chocolates is an excuse to skip your diet. Some people find this day very stressful, but, I’ve survived a lot of this day for years.
Here are a few tips on how to survive Valentine’s Day:
If you’re single,
- …and bitter, let the people around you, like your family and friends, that you don’t need reminding that you are alone and not in love with anyone. This keeps them from sending you those love messages expressing how this day should be about being in love. When in fact, they could just say, “I love you”, for being a good son/daughter, for being a great friend and for being you.
- Make this day a reminder that, love is not just about being in love. It is also about loving yourself more. Don’t go on a date just because you don’t want to be that person who is dateless among your peers. Make this day a time to reflect and evaluate where you are in your life, and whatever your hangups are with your past relationship, leave it there. Move on. Be ready to be loved again, even if it’s not today or tomorrow, but in the future when you are fully ready.
- Treat this day as you would other days. Do your daily routines; go to work/school, do your grocery, maybe. But if you can’t, then, ask all your single friends to party with you and celebrate being in love with life.
- Spend this day with those you love the most. When I was single, I celebrated this day with my family. I cooked for them a hearty feast, and we all had the funnest day ever.
If you’re attched…
- Don’t let this day define your relationship. Remember, there are 364 more days to be in love. Spending your money to eat dinner out on a fancy restaurant is impractical in my opinion. As long as you’re together, whatever day of the year, it should make you feel loved and special.
- Don’t get each other the usual gifts. Cards? Teddy bears? Chocolates? Find something that your partner will truly like; something that he/she would really use. I personally do not like getting flowers, for it wilts overtime. I don’t like teddy bears, either; they’re cute, yes, but it ends there. Chocolates? Well, I won’t argue with you if it’s Butterfinger
- If you plan on going on a date, do it on another day. Like I said, it shouldn’t be squeezed in that single day. The day won’t be that special if everyone else is celebrating and doing the same thing as you.
Love is such a powerful feeling. Don’t let love stir you into doing crazy things on Valentine’s day. Family-love, friend-love, or self-love is still love in itself.
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