You’re not alone
According to Statista, a whopping 42% of Brits aged between 18 and 29 are single. When there are so many of your friends posting rose bouquets and romantic picture collages to Instagram it can be easy to forget that being single in your 20s is really not that unusual. Keep in touch with your fellow singletons this Valentine’s Day and get an idea of how they’re feeling. It can be reassuring to know that you’re not the only one feeling left out of the party.
Embrace your freedom
Books and movies tell us that romance is wonderful and exciting, but being single can be just as fun. Not having a partner to please gives you time and freedom to do whatever you want. Feel like spending an entire morning sipping a hot drink at Olive & Bean? You can do that. Feel like going to bed and reading a book at 8pm? You can do that too. Embrace your freedom whilst you have it – when you do find your partner, you may end up missing it.
Avoid comparisons
When you see happy couples on your feed this Valentine’s Day, be careful not to be fooled into assuming their lives are happier than yours. Romance can be fulfilling, but it can also be incredibly messy, stressful and painful. You can never really know what someone else is going through, so it’s best to avoid any comparison in the first place and focus on making your own life as content as it can be.
It’s all a scam anyway
St. Valentine’s Day was once a feast day honouring an ancient Christian martyr, but is anyone really thinking about that when 14 February rolls around? No, because in the 2000-odd years since then Valentine’s Day has transformed into a heavily commercialised festival, co-opted from its religious beginnings by company CEOs hoping to squeeze as much money out of you as possible. Ask yourself: is this really something worth participating in anyway? You’ve got more important things to think about, namely your Olive & Bean beverage order.