Single this Valentine’s Day?

If you are single, Valentine’s Day can make you think your life simply isn’t worth living if you have to admit the sad fact that you don’t have that someone special to spend it with.
 
It’s the day of the year that each of us singletons fear, knowing that all of our loved up friends will be busy eating out at a fancy restaurant, or having a romantic night in, but do we have to spend the day feeling depressed?
   
We all know it’s coming, mainly due to the fact that every single shop you seem to walk past two weeks before the day, are telling you to ‘tell the one you love, just how much you care’, and every advert on the TV is full of love songs for your partner.

I often ask myself why those in relationships get to celebrate the fact that they’re in love and then when their love finally brings them to an engagement or wedding, they then get to party even more, not forgetting shed loads of presents! So, they get all this whilst being in love, yet singletons don’t get a single day to celebrate the fact that they’re (dare I say it) happy alone?

Me, bitter? Never. But it would be nice to at least get a card. However, even though the majority of single girls will be longing for a simple card on the dreaded day, what happens when you get a card from an ‘undesired candidate’? Do you a) forget you ever got it and ignore him or her from that day onwards, b) say ‘thanks, but no thanks’, or c) be thankful that you finally got a card and maybe even accept his offer of a date? You’ve got no one else lining up after all.

If you’re considering choosing option C, then hopefully this single’s guide will remind you that you’re not the only one, and that the single life does have its advantages…even on February 14.

First of all, try and think of it as a money saving day. Whilst all confectionary companies and florists are raking it in at this time of the year, be proud that you’re not part of the commercial holiday this once romantic day has become. Your loved up friends will probably be spending money on a card, present, meal and drinks, of if they’re loaded (or just over generous) a romantic weekend away. Once added up, it can end up being a rather expensive day, which you don’t have to worry about saving for… you can just spend it all on yourself.

Secondly, if your partner is a tad strapped for cash (in which case it may not be an expensive day), you don’t have to pretend to like the cheap chocolates, supermarket flowers or ugly teddy bear your other half coughs up. It’s one of those awkward situations where you have to smile as you realise they really know nothing about you. The moral of the story is, there’s no gift quite as good as the one you pick out yourself, so be grateful.

If this fails, try and think of yourself as a single trendsetter. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the number of people choosing to stay single has reached record levels. The UK is now home to more than 1.65m single men and 1.27m women. There are, of course, a number of different reasons for this, but one major factor could be that people nowadays are choosing to party over a tacky teddy, and call me crazy, but that doesn’t seem that bad, does it?

The next step therefore, is to go out and party to celebrate the fact that you’re single with all your other single friends. Valentine’s Day no longer has to be spent with a partner, so why not celebrate your friendships, or, as I’m sure many others will do, use it as an excuse to have a few too many drinks!

Try and enjoy the fact that you can go out and have a good time with your friends and all of the other singletons that decide they can’t stay in on Valentine’s Day, and thank yourself lucky that you’re not stuck in an over-crowded restaurant with every other couple in town. Why is it that on this romantic day, you end up on exactly the same date as everyone else? Enjoy being different and why not do something spontaneous? No one else seems to be.

Then of course, if you’re still considering taking up the offer of a drink from the weirdo who popped a ‘guess who’ card through your letter box, try and imagine what your relationship could be like if you were with him in the first place. Remind yourself that a relationship doesn’t mean happiness and that the awkward date you face may make you more unhappy than you think you are now. Valentine’s Day can be stressful for quite a few couples, especially for guys when it comes to deciding on a present or restaurant. The day places a lot of pressure on many couples to have the perfect day they’ll remember for years, but my guess is a lot of guys just want the ‘perfect day’ to be over for another year.

Valentine’s Day can be seen as a day to celebrate you from now on. You get to do what you want, see who you want, eat what you want, and even choose your own gift. Then of course, if all else fails, remember the one card you’re guaranteed to get…

Ok, so maybe getting a Valentine’s Day card from your mum, (even past the age of 21) can seem a little bit sad, but at least you know she still loves you!