How not to celebrate Valentine's Day

If you are one of those people who are coming up on another Valentine’s Day without a significant other, join the club. It is kind of a depressing holiday when you don’t have someone with whom to celebrate it. Nevertheless, the single population is forced to get through this holiday as best they can. So, to make it more bearable, here is a list of Valentine’s Day don’ts for all the singles out there. 

Don’t go out to eat

Order some take out or, better yet, get it delivered right to your door! Because, let's be honest, who wants to sit alone and watch all the couples staring into each other’s eyes at all the restaurants across town. 

Don’t go to the store (until February 15th)

Just wait to go to the store until the day after Valentine’s Day. By then, the St. Patrick’s Day and Easter stuff will be out and all the Valentine’s candy will be on sale. It is the perfect time to stock up on your favorites to get you through the rest of the semester. 

Don’t go on social media

It is probably best to take a social media break. Otherwise, your feed will be filled with people posting pictures of flowers, gifts, chocolates, cards and their significant other. Not to mention the mushy gushy captions that go along with it. Likewise, you can also avoid your other single friends who decide to either rant about how single they are or how happy they are not being in a relationship. Best just to avoid them both. 

Don’t watch a romcom

Spend the evening in with your favorite snacks and a completely nonromantic movie. Ask a few of your single friends to join. Don’t bother asking anyone in a relationship. They are most likely going to be busy. 

Don’t listen to Valentine’s Day playlists

Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and other music platforms often put together special playlists for Valentine’s Day, curated for both couples and singles. Just stick to your own playlist. The couples ones will make you wish you were in a relationship and the singles ones will just make you sad. 

Don’t get desperate 

There is nothing wrong with being single, so don’t get stuck in the trap of thinking that you “should” be in a relationship. It is easy to get caught up in these types of thoughts. However, it is important to realize that it is okay to not have found the right person yet. It is also okay if you have decided that finding someone is not one of your priorities right now. Either way, avoid the feelings of desperation. These can only lead to bad decisions, like agreeing to a blind date set up by your great aunt or something. 

By Hannah Olin