I find myself looking at Valentine’s Day and thinking: man, I’m single and living in a residence hall in Commerce, with no date and no real plans … which is mainly because I don’t get out of class until 7:10 p.m. But, I am not so na’ve to think that I’m the only one single on this holiday, so I thought instead of sitting up, moping about being single, I would see what advice there is for single people on V-Day.
After browsing a bit, I came across a list of five things single people can do for Feb. 14., written by Dr. Laura S. Brown, a professor of psychology at Argosy University-Seattle:
1.Do not define yourself by your relationship status. Your relationship status is not your identity.
2. If you are single because of a recent loss, allow this to be a day of grieving. Do not pretend that it’s not a hard day. Get support and sympathy.
3. Realize that Valentine’s Day is a commercial holiday. It is not about love and relationships; it is about selling flowers, candy, and diamond jewelry. Think of all the money you are saving.
4. Plan well in advance to do something that will not place you in the path of billing and cooing couples. Even if you usually like dining out alone, do something else on Valentine’s Day.
5. If you are single and you don’t want to be, start now to think about what is in the way of you creating the relationship you want. Find ways to work on becoming the person your dream partner would fall in love with. Start therapy. Take up yoga. Begin to volunteer. Create art. Make meaning. Act to change the world. It is into the fullest lives that love is most likely to fall.