Valentine’s day is celebrated annually on February 14th, and it is associated with happiness and celebrating love. It’s not often associated with depression, but if you’ve gone through a breakup or you’re dealing with disappointment in your love life, you may be looking forward to Valentine’s Day depression.
Research states that Valentine’s Day is the start of the annual rise in suicide deaths that peaks in April. These figures aren’t shocking as relationship issues are among the major causes of suicides in today’s life.
Valentine’s day is a cruel holiday for singles yearning for love. It triggers the reality of them not being in a loving relationship.
The love and romance associated with Valentine’s Day may become triggers for depression for other individuals.
Different emotions can come after a romantic relationship ends, including sadness and depression. We tend to perceive a breakup as a personal failure, triggering feelings of anger, shame, worthlessness, and despair.
An effective way to manage feelings of loneliness this Valentine’s Day is by shifting your focus, spending time with yourself, and recognizing and appreciating what you already have.
Reasons for Valentine’s Day Depression
Apart from breakups, there are several reasons why you find Valentines Day depressing, including:
- A reminder of romantic failures – most people hate valentines day because it reminds them that they’re single. Many singles decide to spend this day alone. This thought can be depressing as they feel lonely and isolated.
- High expectations. Valentine’s day is surrounded by intense hype; this makes couples have high expectations from their significant other. They expect something special for them. Their partners often don’t share the same enthusiasm for the day and never meet their partner’s expectations. What follows is sadness and disappointment.
- Pressure and stress. Valentine’s day brings intense pressure on couples to make time for their significant other. Despite it not being a public holiday, it’s one of the parameters of love; this can stress working couples trying to balance their professional and personal lives.
- Rejection sensitivity. Many people use this special day to clean their romantic feelings for their partner. That’s why many men propose on this day, increasing the pressure of their partner rejecting them on this day.
Ways to Deal With Valentine’s Day Depression
If you’re struggling with anxiety and depression this year, don’t let Valentine’s Day take you down. Here are some strategies on how to enjoy yourself this Valentine’s Day.
Celebrate Other Types of Love
Valentine’s day celebrates romantic love between couples. This doesn’t mean there is only one type of love to be observed.
Make arrangements to hang out with friends and enjoy the company to the fullest. Decide to visit family members, book a family vacation on this day to go and enjoy with your family.
Celebrate love in any form worth celebrating. Ignore Valentine’s Day, and there is no rule that you must celebrate or even acknowledge it. However, avoid social media, stories of others, or store displays that may make you embarrassed of your relationship status.
This helps you take a break from the daily stress and reduces some symptoms.
Be Kind to Yourself
If you don’t recommend ignoring Valentine’s Day, make it a day to treat yourself. Book a reservation for yourself to show yourself, love.
Use the following strategies to treat yourself:
- Create a list of goals and activities you want to do on that day
- Eat your favorite foods
- Engage in hobbies and activities that you enjoy
- Take the day off work
- Sleep in late
- Write a gratitude journal for remembrance
Being kind to yourself helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It also increases energy and improves happiness.
Make Other Plans
Arrange your day around your hobbies and recreational activities unrelated to Valentine’s Day.
Choose to do something memorable, then each year you’ll have something to celebrate on that day.
Examples of things you can do include:
- Try a new workout
- Go for a hike
- Play the best video games
- Order meals from your favorite restaurant
- Travel to explore a new city
- Play a musical instrument
Having plans to do something memorable helps your mind take a break from the fact that you’re single. This gives you time to focus on yourself and enjoy your alone time.
Plan a Date With Single Friends
If you have single friends, make arrangements with them and plan a date night with them. You may be facing the same issues of loneliness, but being in the company of others may ease depression symptoms.
Find group activities you can engage in together. These activities include:
- Going for scavenger hunt
- Watching a movie together
- Play video games
- Prepare meals together
- Go for hikes
In addition to increasing happiness, spending quality time with single friends improves your social skills and gives you feelings of love on this day.
Brighten Someone Else’s Day
Find someone who has recently lost a significant other, surprise them with a precious gift on valentines day. This would mean a lot to them and make you feel good as well.
Gift ideas include:
- Flowers
- Gift basket with chocolate, coffee, or other goodies
- Homemade cookies or other foods
- A promising time spent together
Keep Up Your Daily Routine
Following your daily routine can be one of the best ways to fight depression. Some of the daily routines may include:
- Clean the house
- Go shopping groceries
- Attend your exercices
- Prepare meals
- Walk your dog
- Complete your tasks
Following your routine helps you make it seem like just another day of the week.
Avoid Substance Use
Using cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs can be tempting when overwhelmed with feelings of despair, rejection, or loneliness. Avoid the temptation of drinking your problems away; it will only leave you feeling worse in the end.
Though they may give you a short time relief, the long-term effects of using these drugs can cause serious problems, like chronic illnesses and interruption of one’s daily activities.
