First off, Happy Valentine's Day, my loves. This has always been one of my favorite holidays since I was little. I loved receiving Valentines cards and gifts from all of my classmates, decorating my Valentines mailbox, and getting flowers from my mom the morning of. I love what the holiday stands for, but as the years have gone on, the meaning has changed and gotten so far away from the sentiments of love and friendship that were shared in my first grade class.
For the past two or three years, I've been single on Valentine's Day. I'm not gonna lie and say it's been easy and that I've treated myself each year instead of worrying about not having a date, because that's not true. It has been hard, and I feel like the world tries to silence single people on Valentine's Day and encourage you to just "appreciate other types of love in your life" and "focus on self care that day" and "be happy for your friends who are in love". But, to be honest, when your single on a day like today, all of that sounds like a bunch of crap. Nobody wants to hear all of that because it's just not helpful. What may be helpful is knowing that it's okay to feel lonely, or upset, or overlooked. It's okay to dream about a different kind of Valentine's Day that you haven't experienced yet, or maybe even that you had this time last year. It's okay to be annoyed by all of the surprise bae announcements on Instagram today. However you're feeling today is 100% valid. I think it's important to let yourself feel those feelings instead of always trying to put on a happy face this time of year. But there's still a balance: feel them, but don't let them take over.
For those of you wondering what you should do tonight... well that's up to you. I'm going to treat myself to a solo massage and probably my favorite dessert. You may prefer taking a hot bath with your favorite bath bombs or taking some time to listen to music and relax in your room. Galentine's Day shenanigans are always a good option too. You may even want to treat today like a regular Thursday, which is cool too. Whatever you do, make it fun and make it about you. I always hear married people say "enjoy your single season" but how many times do I actually make it a point to do that? Valentines Day, for me, has been one of the times I intentionally remind myself to enjoy this season.
With all that being said, I really just want you to know that you're loved. Whether you feel like it or not today, it's so true, and the sooner you start believing it, the better this day and days like this will feel over the years. You can buy yourself all the flowers, all the bears, and all the candy you want, but if you don't know that truth deep down in your heart, all that stuff isn't going to mean a thing. Saying it one more time for the people in the back: You are loved! Madly, deeply, and fully. Make this Valentines Day your best yet. Love you always for reading!
xoxo,
