Valentines day is so centered around romantic partnerships, which can cause sadness for single people. In fact, Valentines day is often cited as the “most hated holiday.” It places pressure on couples for gift giving, makes single people feel more lonely than ever, and worst of all, causes people to forget completely about how much love surrounds them already. That’s where Galentines Day comes in – a day specifically for celebrating ‘gal friends’ or platonic love. Celebrating Galentines day helps us focus on the different types of love that we give and receive, whether we have a romantic partner or not. Treating it with importance and showing love to friends and family during that time can help us reframe the way we think about Valentine’s Day.
Galentines day is a girls girl
The great thing about Galantines day is that it’s just like a girls girl. It doesn’t exclude, and it makes you feel happy and loved. Seeing so many happy couples on and around Valentines Day can sometimes stray our thoughts from actual reality if we don’t have that “special someone” everyone else seems to have. First of all, someone else’s happiness in one area of their life, in this case, romantic love, isn’t a shot at you. Being single on Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you, or that people are “more loved” than you are. I am 19 years old and I’ve been single for 19 Valentines days – but during this time of the year, because I make sure to celebrate Galentines day and show the love to my platonic friends, I feel more loved than ever. We are surrounded with so much love that deserves just as much recognition and celebration as romantic love, which in the grand scheme of things, is only a small portion of all the love in our lives. By celebrating Galentines day, we treat friendships the way they should be treated – celebrated, and spotlighted!
reshaping negativity surrounding valentine’s day
Being single on Valentine’s Day is often portrayed as something to be sad and mope around about. And yes, seeing people celebrate their romantic relationships publicly can make someone feel sad if they wish they were in a relationship too. These feelings are real, and valid. Trust me, I’ve felt them before. However, sometimes these feelings of loneliness can cause us to ignore all the other types of love in our lives. Just because you don’t have a romantic partner doesn’t mean that you aren’t loved, or that your life is less full of love compared to someone who is in a romantic relationship.
Tell your friends you love them
Galentines day is a time to show appreciation for the people in your life. That’s what valentines day is all about, too, it just focuses on romantic love. We need to recognize how much love we are full of, and all the places it shows up in our lives. Galentines day is a special occasion to celebrate platonic love, but you don’t have to wait until then to say that you love your friends, or celebrate them. Love is everywhere, it’s beautiful and it deserves to be recognized.