When you hear the word “valentine” in elementary school, you may think of red frosted sugar cookies and a pack of thirty generic paper cards to pass out in class. In Middle school, the word ‘valentine’ means a note transferred from his best friend to your best friend with the inevitable question, “do you like me? “Yes, no or maybe. In High school, a valentine is a walk to class with hands locked together, lips too, along with the secret competition no one ever admits is a competition for that will get their admirer the biggest bear with the most candy. (Everyone shops at the same store in high school, so the allowance money spent is bragging rights.) College, however, is a different thing.
College is a weird time to have a valentine because you’re old enough to take it seriously for someone you love, but you’re still young so that means your chances are 50/50 when it comes down to having a significant other, let alone “Valentine.”
“I wish I had someone!”
“This is my first time being single on Valentine’s Day!”
“I’m going to stuff my face with ice cream and watch The Twilight Saga.”
We’ve all heard countless complaints about the uncomfortable woes of Valentine’s Day, but guys, it’s really not that bad.
Valentine’s Day should not be limited to people who have a significant other. Moreover, it should not be totally disregarded by cynical (but secret hopeless romantics) when there are so many cool alternatives that will make anyone, single or taken, excited about this day.
Rule Number One:
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Date yourself first!
You have to learn to start speaking positivity into existence. Honestly, you should date yourself before you date someone else anyway. Do not think you’re lame for treating yourself to ice cream full of carbs wearing a facial mask. While Valentine’s Day might be seen as cliché’ timing to start dating yourself, it’s better to start now than not at all.
Rule Number Two:
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Make it a girl’s night.
Let’s stress the point that girl’s night involves a little extra bonding, through deep conversations, color coordinated outfits, and an overload of pictures on social media. It does NOT mean driving past your ex’s apartment to egg his car then go home and act like you’ve been having a pajama party with your friends all night when in reality you all washed off the evidence then bashed every person you’ve loved and/or hated for six hours straight while looking up quotes on Tumblr.
Tell your friends to bring an overnight bag, a bottle of wine and order a pizza. Make it a “’Galentine’s’ Day.”
Rule Number Three:
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Do not make a last minute date.
Dating can be the best or worst experience ever. There’s hardly ever an in between. Dating is already an awkward setup when it’s someone you’re interested in, but it’s even worse when you decide to go on a date to avoid to succumbing to being alone. You might tell yourself, “I don’t even like this person, so there’s no pressure.” That may be true on your end, but on their end they might think you’re “the one.” What if they try to kiss you and you reject them? What if they take it too personal and retaliate on social media to embarrass you and let everyone know that you used them and now you look like the ultimate jerk on the cheesiest day of the year. This scenario may be slightly exaggerated, but anything is possible.
Long story short, being alone isn’t so bad. After all, It’s just a day.