I have a confession to make:
I'm not crazy about Valentine's Day. In fact i hate it.
Now you may be wondering why a dating blogger doesn't LOVE the so-called "most romantic day of the year."
Well it's because this silly little holiday (hyped up commercially to sell greeting cards, chocolates and overpriced long-stem roses) has been so BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION that it causes millions of people undue stress and misery!
If you're single, you may dread Valentine's Day because you don't have a date or aren't in a relationship with someone special.
But that doesn't mean that couples are off the hook:
Men feel pressure to spend a lot of money to impress their date (restaurants knowingly create a "special" high-priced menu and the cost of flowers goes through the roof).
If you're dating someone, you may stress out trying to find the "perfect" meaningful gift ("What says 'I care' in a way that won't freak him out?")... or waste hours needlessly searching
for the "hidden meaning" behind your date's present (e.g. "I wanted jewelry and he got me a blender").
Now don't get me wrong... when observed in the APPROPRIATE spirit (a lighthearted day to celebrate love, a great excuse to eat chocolate all day), Valentine's Day can be great fun.
I only take issue with the holiday when all of the pink-and-red decorations, overflowing candy aisles and "a Diamond is Forever" commercials cause a perfectly beautiful and amazing creature like you to feel overwhelmed or inadequate.
So whether you're planning on hiding out and waiting for the day to pass...
...Or are looking forward for a creative way to RECLAIM Valentine's Day - a celebration that will take this over-hyped holiday and make it fun no matter what..
For women and men who are seeing someone casually, I have just one piece of advice: Try not to put too much importance on this one day.
If your date plans a night out, great! Have fun, but don't judge the status of your relationship entirely on what happens on this one day. If you're not serious, I suggest getting your day a humorous card (steer clear of the mushy-gushy cards or he/she might read too much into it) and maybe bake him/her some cookies, but leave it at that. (That means NO stuffed puppy dogs holding red satin hearts that say 'I Woof You!')
Now if you DON'T get asked out by the person you're seeing, don't assume this means that he's/she's not interested in you. I've heard firsthand from many people that V-Day freaks them out. As we discussed above, they feel pressure from the outside world to make everything romantic and "perfect" and might not know how to do this if they're just in the beginning stages of getting to know you. It's likely that he just panicked and decided that beers with the guys is a lot less stressful than trying to impress you and possibly falling short of your expectations.
Unless you're serious/committed, cut him/her some slack.
And if you're SINGLE, well, the first important thing to remember is that you're not ALONE.
Although the greeting card, floral and diamond industry would have you believe that you're the only single person on the planet, nothing could be further from the truth. There are millions of people all over the world (a few supermodels included) who will be spending Valentine's Day without a date.
Here are 4 ways to celebrate (or not!):
4. TREAT V-DAY LIKE ANY OTHER SATURDAY.
On February 14th, go about your day as if it's just a normal Saturday and remember that there is absolutely no correlation between your self-worth and how cool your social plans are during one lousy 24-hour period. When you see lovey-dovey couples smooching on the subway on your
way to work, try to resist the urge to gag or yell "get a room!" Wow your boss with your clear-headed productivity on a day when others are distracted with Valentine's Day silliness. Head home and watch some TV, and go to bed early. Your body will love you for the extra rest and February 15th will be here before you know it!
3. SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH THOSE IN NEED.
If you have some free time on Valentine's Day, why not volunteer in your community? Whether you're helping out feeding the homeless at a soup kitchen, reading to children at an after-school program, visiting with the elderly at an assisted-living facility or walking dogs at a rescue shelter, sharing your love will definitely bring love back to you. When you're selflessly dedicating your time and energy to helping others, it's impossible to feel sorry for yourself. Plus you'll be brightening other people's day.And who knows? You might just meet a cute do-gooder guy/girl
there! BONUS!
2. DATE YOURSELF.
Just because you're not going out with a guy on Valentine's Day doesn't mean you can't have a fabulous date night... with yourself! Now before you say, "Easy for you to say"I have to tell you that THIS is what I'M doing for V-Day.. I plan on treating myself to a massage at my favorite spa, followed by ordering in dinner from my favorite restaurant and a horror movie! I am really looking forward to the opportunity to relax and pamper myself - you should too!
1. HOST A GIRLS' - BOYS'-NIGHT-IN.
Whether you're feeling ambitious (dinner party) or lazy invite your single mates over to commiserate, laugh, and chat.
If your date plans a night out, great! Have fun, but don't judge the status of your relationship entirely on what happens on this one day. If you're not serious, I suggest getting your day a humorous card (steer clear of the mushy-gushy cards or he/she might read too much into it) and maybe bake him/her some cookies, but leave it at that. (That means NO stuffed puppy dogs holding red satin hearts that say 'I Woof You!')
Now if you DON'T get asked out by the person you're seeing, don't assume this means that he's/she's not interested in you. I've heard firsthand from many people that V-Day freaks them out. As we discussed above, they feel pressure from the outside world to make everything romantic and "perfect" and might not know how to do this if they're just in the beginning stages of getting to know you. It's likely that he just panicked and decided that beers with the guys is a lot less stressful than trying to impress you and possibly falling short of your expectations.
Unless you're serious/committed, cut him/her some slack.
And if you're SINGLE, well, the first important thing to remember is that you're not ALONE.
Although the greeting card, floral and diamond industry would have you believe that you're the only single person on the planet, nothing could be further from the truth. There are millions of people all over the world (a few supermodels included) who will be spending Valentine's Day without a date.
Here are 4 ways to celebrate (or not!):
4. TREAT V-DAY LIKE ANY OTHER SATURDAY.
On February 14th, go about your day as if it's just a normal Saturday and remember that there is absolutely no correlation between your self-worth and how cool your social plans are during one lousy 24-hour period. When you see lovey-dovey couples smooching on the subway on your
way to work, try to resist the urge to gag or yell "get a room!" Wow your boss with your clear-headed productivity on a day when others are distracted with Valentine's Day silliness. Head home and watch some TV, and go to bed early. Your body will love you for the extra rest and February 15th will be here before you know it!
3. SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH THOSE IN NEED.
If you have some free time on Valentine's Day, why not volunteer in your community? Whether you're helping out feeding the homeless at a soup kitchen, reading to children at an after-school program, visiting with the elderly at an assisted-living facility or walking dogs at a rescue shelter, sharing your love will definitely bring love back to you. When you're selflessly dedicating your time and energy to helping others, it's impossible to feel sorry for yourself. Plus you'll be brightening other people's day.And who knows? You might just meet a cute do-gooder guy/girl
there! BONUS!
2. DATE YOURSELF.
Just because you're not going out with a guy on Valentine's Day doesn't mean you can't have a fabulous date night... with yourself! Now before you say, "Easy for you to say"I have to tell you that THIS is what I'M doing for V-Day.. I plan on treating myself to a massage at my favorite spa, followed by ordering in dinner from my favorite restaurant and a horror movie! I am really looking forward to the opportunity to relax and pamper myself - you should too!
1. HOST A GIRLS' - BOYS'-NIGHT-IN.
Whether you're feeling ambitious (dinner party) or lazy invite your single mates over to commiserate, laugh, and chat.
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VALENTINES DAY SUCKS!!!!
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