Why Singles Need to Celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Why Should only Couples Enjoy Valentine’s Day?

First of all, society has turned Valentine’s Day into only a day of romantic love where couples celebrate their “love” through going on romantic dates, roses, chocolate, etc. and post it all over social media! Nothing is wrong with that, but why should only couples be the one to celebrate? I love the push for Galantine’s Day, especially for us singles so we feel less lonely, but at the same time, I feel like Valentine’s Day should still be celebrated as a day love, but why not a day of Self Love instead?

To give a bit of background, this year has been extra difficult for me, especially the last two weeks. Just over a week ago, I went through a major breakup which was not easy on me, in fact it still isn’t easy on me and every day I’m still working on healing from it. It took a massive toll on me mentally as it was very unexpected and during the middle of medical school, I didn't even know how to deal with it but I did do some self-work during the last two weeks to work on healing . This had me dreading Valentine’s Day. Mentally, I was planning to just pretend that it wasn’t Valentine’s Day but that’s impossible with all the “love” all over social media. I did plan to do a Galantine’s Day celebration but living in Canada where it’s -20 outside, there was no way I was going out and many of my friends are not single, which had me planning to avoid Valentine’s Day. But I thought to myself, why am I avoiding it? I recently read a bit about the history of Valentine’s Day and how it originated by a Saint who broke rules to help a couple get married (something like that!) This had me thinking that Valentine’s Day truly is just a major marketing scheme that companies took advantage of to get consumers which also sold me too! But it is a cute holiday and since I am a romantic, I’m sold on it. But instead of me sitting around all day envying all the couples on social media and crying over being single, I thought to myself, why do that to myself when I could take advantage of V-day and celebrate self-love?! And that is exactly what I plan to do and what I encourage all of you to do (especially my fellow single ppl). So please, if you are like me and are going through issues right now which has you dreading Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to celebrate it even more and celebrate your love for yourself! This is probably the healthiest thing you could do for yourself, and it will make you stronger!

How exactly do I plan to do this?

First, plan for the day. Since this year it does fall on a regular working day, I planned to be extra productive today and accomplish all my studying goals and habits. This includes my morning workout and then spending the day studying! Being productive is my personal way of self-love because then I feel like I’ve accomplished something and I’m not behind! And for the actual “celebration” part, I decided to incorporate my self-love time in the evening where I plan to do things that make me happy! Some suggestions are to make yourself feel confident, for me, this is self-care through a facemask, or doing my nails, or even just shaving (nothing beats the feeling of fresh, clean, smooth skin!). Just do something that makes you feel good! Not only should you feel good on the outside but get your soul feeling good by journaling! That’s why I planned to journal for a bit and truly reflect. Incorporate some time to just reflect on yourself. Write about the love that you have in your life such as through your family, your friends, etc. and write about what you love about yourself, trust me this will instantly make you feel better! It’s important to think about what you do have and value it instead of what you don’t, yes there will be couples posting about one another on social media, but think about what you have, you have your family and friends who love you and if not any of those, you always have yourself! Your biggest supporter and lover is always YOU so make sure you realize that! Even after my breakup, my mindset shifted to truly refocusing on myself and picking myself back up. No one can pick you back up, only you can, so you need to truly love yourself enough to get back up and not let yourself get pushed down! I know it’s hard, trust me, I’m currently experiencing it, but the first step you can take is work on healing yourself through loving yourself!

Another thing I suggest doing today is treat yourself, that doesn’t mean eating chocolates/junk food and having a breakdown! NO, DON’T DO IT! But maybe cook yourself a healthy meal, have a little treat, order from your favourite restaurant, and watch your favourite show or movie or even just go for a walk to get your mind clear and feel better about yourself! Loving yourself is important so give yourself a treat! Spoil yourself! You don’t need a partner to spoil you when you are more than capable of doing it on your own! What I did was literally give myself a new jewelry set because gifting is my love language, instead of waiting for some partner to come and gift me stuff. I gifted myself which may sound kind of weird, but I couldn’t be happier because I am not dependent on anything or anyone and by doing so, it just proves that no, you don’t need a partner to be happy! A partner is someone you chose to have but not a necessity and not having one doesn’t mean you're unhappy! So, I encourage you, gift YOURSELF! Take YOURSELF for that romantic night out and just take the time to love YOURSELF.

I know it is discouraging to look at social media and see all the couples out there, but always remember that everything happens for a reason and hopefully, one day you’ll be one of those couples when it’s YOUR time or maybe you don’t even need a partner and when you think about it, you’re happier without one! Plus, always remember that social media is fake, yes, they are real couples, but we have no idea what their situations are and only “highlights” are displayed so don’t get too caught up! If you do feel caught up and down, then you need to change your mind set on other couples, yes you may feel bad for not having a partner. As I said, just focus on you, always think about what your goal is and get your mind thinking about it and truly focused to accomplishing it!

Anyways, I wanted to end off with 8 simple ways that I personally use to show myself SELF-LOVE (not just on Valentine’s Day)! Thank you for making it this far and I hope you have an amazing Valentine’s Day whether you are single or in a relationship!

8 Ways to Show Self-Love:

1. Create a list of things you love about yourself (non-physical)! A major first step is accepting yourself on the inside AND all your flaws while appreciating your strengths!

· If you have any “flaws” think of how you can improve (for example, if your flaw is that you are unorganized, find ways to get out of your comfort zone!)

2. Journal- write down everything you feel and just get it all out and never look at it again (Letting it all out is the best way to move on from whatever you’re feeling and prevent feelings from building up inside you!)

3. Make a list of goals that you want to achieve and make a game plan of how to achieve them (this will keep you motivated and busy!)

4. Give yourself time to be physically active! Workout, do yoga, go for a walk, stretch, play a sport, etc. physical activity is the best way to instantly improve your mood while taking care of your body!

5. Self-maintenance- take a shower, wash your hair, try a face mask, light up your favourite candle, meditate, these things may seem small, but it does add up and can help you feel more put-together!

6. Indulge in a little treat- this can be a nice meal, a dessert, a gift, a movie/show, a day out, anything to reward yourself!

7. Reach out to friends and family! Reach out to others (especially those you trust) to get your mind off things or even just to let it all out to discuss what you feel! This is a great way to love yourself because then you aren’t completely isolating yourself and sometimes just having someone to talk to and support you is all you need!

8. Get yourself organized! This can include organizing your space, doing laundry, making a schedule of work you need to get done, etc. this is self-care as well because you are taking active control of yourself and ensuring that you aren’t giving up on your goals! The feeling of being in control is a major way to show you care about YOU!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional in this field and all advice/views given on this page only represent my own opinion and views based on my own experience!!