Valentine's Day survival

Tips for anyone who dislikes Valentine's Day.

Once upon a time Valentine’s Day was fun. Aged 5 or 6, we spent many happy hours in school painting fluorescent hearts on badly cut-out cards for our parents.

A few years later there was the extra excitement of Valentine’s cards being given or received by love struck 10 year olds. The cards were almost always anonymous and included heartfelt poems such as:

I love you, I love you, I love you I do,
But don’t get excited, I love myself too.

However, once we hit our teens, many people are sick of the pink, fluffy commercialism that is forced down their throats from mid-January onwards. A cute card from time to time is fine. But the pressure of finding the ‘perfect’  gift or romantic date, is enough to put anyone off their boy / girl friend.

Valentine’s becomes not only annoying, but also a minefield of problems if you are in a relationship.

This year, never fear! There are ways to navigate this trickiest and most expensive of public displays of affection:

Single:

Party and pull. Valentine’s is a brilliant time of the year to go out if you are single. Everyone in a relationship is with their partner, so chances are high that the girl or fella you eye up on the dance floor is going to be single. Whether you are looking for a snog, to make friends or to find someone to go out with, it’s good for meeting new people who can share your grumbles about Valentine’s Day.

Celebrate your freedom! Don’t let Valentine’s put you in a bad mood. Get together with friends, organise a party and spend the night having fun together and gloating about all the couples who are fighting over forgotten flowers.

Love yourself. Take time at Valentine’s to enjoy your own company and to feel happy in your own skin. If you need a self-confidence boost, ask friends why they like spending time with you... seeing yourself through a friend’s eyes is a great way to realise why you rock!

Coupled up:

Be honest. If you hate Valentine’s or think it’s nonsense then let your boy/ girlfriend know this at least a week before the big day. If you’re lucky they will sigh in relief and admit they feel the same- you’ll both ignore the day and snigger to yourselves as others complain about the expense and pressure.

If you’re unlucky, they will throw a hissy fit and say you don’t love them. Be glad this happened before Valentine’s or the drama would be a lot worse. Give them time to calm down and then try to decide on what will make you both happy- maybe you can agree to have a romantic night in together and surprise them with a night out on another date.

Beware of the boy/ girlfriend who says: ‘Oh. That’s okay, I don’t mind’ with a sad expression when you declare your dislike for Valentine’s. They might be agreeing for your sake but still secretly hoping that you’ll sweep them off their feet with a wildly romantic gesture. Make sure to let them know how happy you are with them, even if you’re not celebrating your love on February 14th.

If you both agree to not celebrate Valentine’s but your other half secretly plans a bit of romance and presumes you will enjoy it, don’t break up with them on the spot!  Remember that they might have gone to a lot of effort, smile, relax and enjoy yourself.

Finally, if you want to show your secret crush or your boy/ girlfriend that you are anti-Valentine’s but can do romance, then go wild and surprise them with something they love... the day before, the day after or every day...be brave and celebrate love just for the sake of it!