By RACHEL ARCHIBEQUE
If you’re single this year and dreading Valentine’s Day, don’t!
From high-end restaurant dates to expensive gifts, Valentine’s Day has always been strictly for couples, but recent trends show that spending it by yourself or with friends is in.
Even though more people are satisfied with spending it alone or with friends, a recent study by PR Newswire shows that the younger generations feel pressured to be in a relationship by Valentine’s Day or have plans made. “According to the study, the pressure tied to Valentine’s Day is stronger among younger singles, with 60% of Gen Z and 52% of Millennials feeling the heat, and trends downwards as singles age.”
Becoming satisfied with your single status is suddenly more common than ever.
In the 2020 study, the “Hopeless Romantics” are starting to dwindle and their hope in finding love before Valentine’s Day is decreasing year by year, about “23% of singles, including nearly 1/3 of Millennials, prefer to spend the day with a romantic partner.” Even though Gen-Zers prefer to spend the day with their special someone, most end up spending it alone because of the circumstances.
Singles such as Essex County sophomore, Krysdale Cappili, expressed that having a sense of self-love is very important after being recently broken up with.
“Recently I’ve been broken up with so I guess right now, it’s time for me to meditate on how to make myself better because I normally don’t show myself some self-love. I’ve always been too busy either with school, work, or even when I was in a relationship, I focused more on that person than myself.”
Power of Self-Love
Like Cappili, many newly single people may be struggling this year but have discovered the power of self-love and what good it can do on a day like Feb, 14.
Self-love is more commonly associated with finding love within yourself and doing the small things to make yourself happy, experts say. Finding self-love within yourself is not narrowed down to celebrating it on Valentine’s Day, but should be promoted to execute every day.
Love comes in many different forms.
Ramapo College sophomore, Yvette Tannor, explains that not having a partner doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the holiday. “I have a memory of my mom buying me chocolate and it made me feel appreciated! It was more of familial love, compared to the normal couple-relationship-type of love.”
Valentine’s Day is really about is spending it with the ones you love and cherish. When you take away the lavish gifts and celebrations, all that remains is love. One of the ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with friends is “Galentine’s,” which is typically on Feb. 13. It’s a day where people gather with their female friends to spend time with one another, exchange gifts, go to brunch, and just relax.
Typically seen in shows like “Parks and Recreation,” Galentine’s Day is a great way to bond with friends and include some self-care time into your routine.
“This year, I will be participating in Galentine’s Day. I usually spend it alone because self-love is the best kind of love but I’m changing things up,” says Tannor.
A guide to being single on Valentine’s Day – CNET https://t.co/lX1ZyeDUHL pic.twitter.com/J3zX8KjssH
— TechFishNews (@TechFishNews) February 7, 2022
This story was really great because of its inclusions of audio from the interview, and inline links. I also thought that the image of someone handing flowers through the phone screen to another was very relevant to today’s society!