With Valentine’s Day approaching, Vicki Larson shares why it’s OK to not feel pressured to celebrate.
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and while I love romantic love, I don’t like the day dedicated to it. Oh, here was a time when I looked forward to it — when I was in elementary school. Like many girls, I was brought up to expect romantic love, maybe in the form of a prince.
So, a day dedicated to love? Bring it! Plus, there was candy. If I was lucky, I got a card from a special boy. Sometimes there were several cards from several special boys. Sometimes, there was only a card from the boy you were pretty sure had the cooties. And sometimes, there was no card at all. We learned that heartbreak comes with the territory.
Valentine’s Day is one of those days you’re forced to pay attention to because it proves just how loved you are — or aren’t. Singles are often bombarded with ways on how to “survive” the day, as if it’s a disease. I’ve never met anyone who died by being alone on Valentine’s Day. But in order to not feel left out, the media offers ways to engage in self-love, often by pampering ourselves in ways that we’ll probably still be paying for next Valentine’s Day, either as charges on our credit cards or extra pounds on our body.
Of course, those articles are usually directed at women. According to studies, Valentine’s Day causes many people to have the blues — a reminder that the pressure to be coupled makes many people, especially women, feel less satisfied and lonelier.