Many Februarys ago, I went for lunch with a friend and was served a devastating blow.
As I ordered a club sandwich, I caught her eyeing me nervously. “So, I have some news,” she said in a hesitant tone. There was an agonising suspenseful pause.
“Oh god,” I said. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might leap right out of my chest cavity. She put her head in her hands as she geared up to break the news to me. Just tell me, for the love of god, I thought to myself.
“It’s about Glen,” she said.
“OK,” I said, panicking. This was the man I had been seeing on and off for the past nine months. A friend-with-benefits that I’d accidentally fallen in love with. Not that I would’ve admitted that at the time.
“He has a girlfriend?” I guessed in a bid to put myself out of my own misery.
“That’s not all, though,” my friend said.
There was more. “They’re having a baby,” she said. Suddenly the restaurant felt unbearably noisy. A wave of heat passed over my body and a weird rash appeared across my chest, my sandwich arrived. I stared at it and tried my best not to puke.
It was three days before Valentine’s Day and I wanted nothing more than for time to stand still. “Valentine’s Day can absolutely get fucked,” I said the next day to my friend Michelle as I ran on the treadmill and cried simultaneously. A feat of human nature, you might say.
I wanted to round up every silk rose, every cheesy card, every tacky giant teddy bear and throw them on a giant bonfire. Everywhere I turned felt like a constant onslaught of love, romance, and relationships. Each one of them a reminder of the sting of rejection I was feeling. I wanted to pretend that Valentine’s Day didn’t exist, but I didn’t know how.
There’s a scene in Bridget Jones’ Diary where she finds out that Daniel Cleaver has a secret fiancée the whole time they’ve been together, and she has to go to work and act like nothing’s happened. She stares blankly at her computer screen, tears welling in her eyes. At my job in a theatre press office, I spent a week stealthily wiping away tears as they streamed from my eyes.
On Valentine’s Day, a work friend left a card on my desk. It was a kind gesture that made me feel loved. But later, on Instagram, I saw the Valentine’s Day card that Glen had given to his girlfriend. There was an illustration of a green olive alongside the line “Olive You.” Ugh, they’re at the pun stage of their romance. It was the longest Feb. 14 I have ever lived through.
“Being in a relationship is not a mark of success. Many people in relationships are unhappy. Be proud of being single.”
Over the next few years, that cursed day came and went. On some years, I was nursing a broken heart from yet another terrible dating experience. Dear friends continued with their sweet gestures (my best friend left a red rose on my desk one year). Truth is, Valentine’s Day is just another day if you’re not in a state of loved-up bliss. So, why not treat it as exactly what is is: just another day in February.
I refuse to spend another Valentine’s Day crying over a terrible olive pun. If you’re nursing the fragments of a broken heart and are listening to The 1975’s “Somebody Else” on repeat, then don’t fret about Feb. 14’s impending arrival. Here are some tried and tested techniques for putting two fingers up to V Day.
Mashable After Dark
Celebrate other types of love
Psychologist Dr. Tony Ortega suggests reframing the day “from being a day of romantic love to a day of celebrating any kind of love, like we did when we were children.”
“If you want to celebrate love but don’t have romantic love, grab your friends and do something out of the ordinary to celebrate your friendships,” say Ortega. “This could take the form of a scavenger hunt or perhaps an establishment that serves both liquor but has some entertainment like games or even a drag show.” If you don’t fancy going out, you could FaceTime a friend who lives far away and have a long-overdue catch up.
“Being in a relationship is not a mark of success. Many people in relationships are unhappy. Be proud of being single.”
Look upon your heartbreak as a gift
It’s really hard when you’re in the thick of the post-breakup emotional turmoil, but try to take a step back and see the bigger picture. Whether the relationship was short-term, long-term, a situationship, FWB — there’s a reason why it ended. Reframe romantic rejection as a positive thing that steers you back onto the right path, and prevents you going too far down the wrong road. It’s a blessing to have your route corrected. It’s better to be alone than in a bad relationship with a person who’s not matching your energy or feeling the same way. Your future self will look back and be grateful.
Banish all negative thoughts
Psychosexual and relationship therapist Silva Neves recommends banning the negative thoughts you have about yourself. “Being in a relationship is not a mark of success. Many people in relationships are unhappy. Be proud of being single,” says Neves.
The best dating apps for hooking up, serious relationships, and everything else in between
“Each time you have a negative thought about yourself, breathe in and out deeply and say something nurturing about yourself instead. You will find out that you have many good qualities.” Make a list of everything you like about yourself, if you feel like it.
Do something nice for yourself
The longest relationship of your life is with yourself. So, why not spoil yourself? Buy yourself the dress you’ve been eyeing up for weeks. Make a delicious meal for yourself. Go get a manicure. Treat yourself to a new sex toy.
Ignore the hype
Valentine’s Day literally is just any other day. So why not treat it as such? As it happens to fall on a Friday this year, stick to your usual Friday routine — be that grabbing a drink in the pub with your mates, or binge-watching Grace and Frankie on your sofa with a takeaway. Avoid anything that’ll remind you what date it is — stay off social media and turn any calendars around so they’re facing the wall.
Rachael Lloyd, relationship experts at eharmony, says “it may sound obvious, but the more you engage in Valentine’s Day, the more you will be impacted.” “Skip over the love stories, avoid your local Pizza Express and keep off social media for the day to limit your exposure.”
Get really into puzzles
If it’s nigh-on impossible to ignore the fact that it’s the most cursed day in the calendar, then ramp up your distraction techniques. My best friend Elisha swears by jigsaw puzzles because, she says, “they require enough of your concentration to prevent you from getting in your head too much, but not so much that you can’t complete the task.” Buy yourself a big bag of Doritos, a bottle of rosé, and a 1,000-piece puzzle and it’ll keep you entertained and, crucially, distracted for hours on end. Alternatively, you could invite all your single friends over to your house for a games night.
things to do on valentine’s day
Credit: vicky leta / mashable
Have some ‘me time’
Dating and relationship coach Sami Wunder says if you’re single, Valentine’s Day is the perfect day for celebrating yourself. “Firstly, don’t let all the hype get to you. Decide that it will be a day for self-love,” says Wunder. “So schedule in some me time. Book yourself a massage, or a manicure, or treat yourself to a nice coffee, or even put on your favourite dress and take yourself out for dinner.”
Neves says if Valentine’s Day is unpleasant for you, “give yourself the permission to be indulgent with whatever floats your boat.” “A long bath maybe? Or have your favourite chocolates. Or put your favourite movies on and a glass of wine?” says Neves.
Keep busy
If you’ve got the day off, one thing that’s guaranteed to keep you very busy is running errands. Go to the gym, clean out your fridge, buy your groceries, do your laundry, iron those clothes at the bottom of your ironing pile. In short, stay busy. At the end of the day, you’ll have a big sense of accomplishment.
Have sex
People in long-term relationships aren’t the only people who get to have sex on Valentine’s Day. Dr. Ortega suggests calling up your fuck buddy and scheduling a hookup.
“Do you have a friend with benefits you can call on? Instead of celebrating romantic love, celebrate your sexual nature with your FWB,” says Ortega. “Throw away the notion of romantic love and for a period of time, celebrate sexual love.”
If you don’t have a FWB, then Neves recommends having an orgasm anyway through solo sex (aka masturbation). “And make a commitment to have those on a regular basis, not just on Valentine’s Day,” says Neves.
Leave the country
Not forever. Just take a break and get some space from everything. If you can afford to, treat yourself to a weekend away somewhere nice, or take a road trip to visit a friend you haven’t seen for ages. About a fortnight after this whole debacle occurred, I decided to book an EasyJet flight to Germany to visit a really lovely friend of mine. It did me a world of good to get away from everything and gain some perspective on the situation. This year, I’m heading back to Germany to see the very same friend, and we’ll be celebrating female friendship rather than romantic love.
Whatever you do on Feb. 14, remember that lots of people in long-term relationships couldn’t give a shit about it. It’s just a stupid day.
This article was first published in 2019 and republished in 2025.
pengemar, slot! pernahkah mendengar istilah “slot demo” jika tidak? bersiaplah cinta, program jatuh slot gacor sama adalah ini. slots selalu mesin memberi yang kemenangan Yup mesin-mesin. dibilang, sebagai ini bisa andalannya buat bawa come back cuan. but gimana
tekniknya, jumpain sih slot demo benar Santai yang Bro and Sis? beri tenang, kita saja di sini Games terpercaya
saat sekarang hanya satu di yaitu pasti Indonesia menyediakan ROI tertinggi Daftarkanlah hanya di
dengan {di|hanya di|dengan}:
Informasi mengenai KING SLOT, Segera Daftar Bersama king selot terbaik dan terpercaya no satu di Indonesia. Boleh mendaftar melalui sini king slot serta memberikan hasil kembali yang paling tinggi saat sekarang ini hanyalah KING SLOT atau Raja slot paling gacor, gilak dan gaco saat sekarang di Indonesia melalui program return tinggi di kingselot serta pg king slot
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
situs slot terbaru
situs slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
slot terbaru
slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
sewaapartemen permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sewaapartemen.org
pipapvc permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pipapvc.org
pialaeropa2028 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pialaeropa2028.net
pialadunia2026 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pialadunia2026.asia
bahanbangunan permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bahanbangunan.org
gemini999 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gemini999.org
havana888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama havana888.net
indonesia88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama indonesia88.info
inspirasi permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama inspirasi.info
jokiwin88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jokiwin88.org
oli88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama oli88.org
situs88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situs88.asia
transfermarkt88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama transfermarkt88.com
rossi46 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rossi46.com
pecco88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pecco88.com
pecco permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pecco.asia
pangkas permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pangkas.net
facebook88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama facebook88.com
depo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama depo88.asia
bajaringan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bajaringan88.com
baja ringan permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bajaringan.asia
tradingview88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tradingview88.com
trading88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama trading88.org
tokopedia88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tokopedia88.net
kualifikasi permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kualifikasi.net
grosirboneka permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama grosirboneka.net
situsgacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsgacor.news
prediksi88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama prediksi88.biz
keramat88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama keramat88.biz
cnn88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cnn88.asia
cnbc88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cnbc88.com
bloomberg88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bloomberg88.com
antibocor88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama antibocor88.com
buku88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama buku88.org
dukun88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dukun88.info
indodax88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama indodax88.net
investing88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama investing88.net
makanan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama makanan88.net
pakaian88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pakaian88.com
rambo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rambo88.info
santet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama santet88.net
sekolah88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sekolah88.org
uno88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama uno88.info
starlink88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama starlink88.org
solitaire88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama solitaire88.net
roblox88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama roblox88.org
pubg88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pubg88.info
motogp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama motogp88.net
motivasi88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama motivasi88.com
mobilelegends88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama mobilelegends88.com
ludoking permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ludoking.asia
kucing88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kucing88.asia
kucing permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kucing.info
klasmen88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama klasmen88.com
imdb88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama imdb88.net
higgsdomino permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama higgsdomino.biz
gmail88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gmail88.org
gmail88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gmail88.net
chess88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama chess88.info
callofduty88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama callofduty88.com
semen88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama semen88.com
seluler88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama seluler88.com
ram88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ram88.net
pasir88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pasir88.asia
papan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama papan88.info
komputer88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama komputer88.net
kayu88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kayu88.info
kabel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kabel88.net
gaming88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gaming88.asia
games88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama games88.info
beton88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama beton88.lat
teknis88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama teknis88.com
sarana88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sarana88.info
arena88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama arena88.asia
viral888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama viral888.asia
usdt88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama usdt88.net
uang88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama uang88.asia
twitter88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama twitter88.asia
tahanlama88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tahanlama88.com
suka88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama suka88.biz
sekali88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sekali88.org
plafonpvc permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama plafonpvc.net
pinjol88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pinjol88.asia
mpox88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama mpox88.com
daun88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama daun88.asia
wordpress88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama wordpress88.net
whatsapp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama whatsapp88.net
wechat88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama wechat88.net
telegram88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama telegram88.org
super888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama super888.asia
skype88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama skype88.com
racing88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama racing88.asia
pupuk88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pupuk88.net
petani888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama petani888.org
pabrik88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pabrik88.asia
organik88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama organik88.com
online77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama online77.info
ojek88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ojek88.info
nostalgia88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama nostalgia88.com
michat permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama michat.info
