We have all been there. The middle of February comes around and all the couples you know cannot wait to tell you what they are going to do for Valentine’s Day. Not only that, but wherever you look it is being ramped down your throat. If you do not have anyone to share Valentine’s Day with then the day, and the time leading up to it can be very lonely indeed.Most people just choose to ignore it all together, or throw scorn on those that seem to be enjoying themselves. Though this is a way to go, I do not recommend. You might find that next year your position has changed, as you are all loved up, and they are telling your new beau how much Valentine’s Day means nothing to you. Instead, try and see the day for what it is. A marketing ploy, yes, but also a day when people who are genuine only in love celebrate that and just have a good time with each other. If you stay out of their way, then you can also enjoy the time as well, and you won’t be filled with bitterness and regret.

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Don’t Stress

OK, so it can be quite miserable to be single on Valentine’s Day, especially when you are the odd one out in your crowd of friends. If you are long-term single, then it can be yet another reminder that you haven’t got a boyfriend, and you’ll think back to all the other Valentine’s Day when you have had the same feelings. For that reason, it can be one of the low points in the year for single people.

If you have recently split up then it can be even harder, as you hark back to what you were doing last year together, and start to wonder what they are doing this year, either alone or with their new girlfriend. Thoughts like this can send you into a downward spiral of depression and, coupled with the gray skies of February, can push people to very low depths indeed.But it doesn’t have to be like that. You just have to have one thought in mind: it is just a day, like any other. OK, so there is a bit more red around, and a few more cuddly bears, but that is it. Do not see it as defining your life, and try not to sit and wallow in thoughts of eternal loneliness. In fact, it is a great time to rethink your dating strategy – a kind of romantic new year’s resolution. Make it your aim to not spend next year alone, and to get out there, or online, and start dating. Just think about all of the millions of other people alone on that day, and how two of you might not be lonely next year.single valentine 2

Don’t Gooseberry

If you are going to wallow, then at least do it locked away, alone at home. The last thing happy people need is someone telling them how bad Valentine’s Day really is and how it was dreamed up by the Illuminati to keep stupid people quiet. Once in a while one of your coupled friends may take pity on you and invite you out with them on Valentine’s Day. They will pretend it is a day like any other and you are just all out for a nice meal together, but trust me, it will be awkward, with a capital horrible. People will look, wondering exactly what type of relationship you guys have, and the couple will still be thinking romantically, even if they are trying to keep it under wraps.If you find yourself invited out on Valentine’s Day by friends, even if it is a large group, politely decline. As long as there are romantically linked people in the party, it will always be a Valentine’s Day dinner, and you will always be a gooseberry.

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Have Fun

But here’s a thought. Instead of sitting at home wallowing, wondering about when exactly your knight in shining armor is going to crash through the door and whisk you off to a romantic Valentine’s Day idyll, why don’t you go out and make it happen.Like I say, there are millions of people in the same boat as you. Millions of single people looking for love and wondering when all of the Valentine’s Day BS will end. Why don’t you get together with a few of your single friends and hit the town. Head to a few bars and have a great time. You know all the coupled people will be at home together, or out at small Italian restaurants, so the bars will just be single people from wall to wall. Get involved. You never know, this might turn out to be your anniversary as well as Valentine’s Day next year.