Everyone knows or believes that Valentine’s Day is unhealthy for singles. The holiday, although it’s meant to be romantic and sweet, typically makes single people feel lonely and insecure. It’s entirely undeniable that Valentine’s Day can decrease the self-image of many people who aren’t in relationships. However, everyone always fails to mention how toxic Valentine’s Day can be for couples. There are expectations, comparisons, and pressure on people that take the joy out of the holiday. The entire concept of the holiday, love, is often completely forgotten about in the stress of contenting your partner.
Our perception of love isn’t healthy. Online, you see all these things that couples do for each other or things like ‘red flags’ and ‘icks’ that aren’t centered on actually concerning things. Couples on the Internet only show people the good side of everything and often staged videos. People often compare their relationships to those online and in real life and find themselves disappointed by the things their partner does for them on Valentine’s Day. That isn’t to say that it’s impossible for your partner to not be doing their part on Valentine’s Day, but there is a good chance that your comparisons to other couples will make your relationship seem weak.
Additionally, when someone constantly compares their relationship to social media couples or listens to ‘icks’ people make up on the Internet, they’ll find themselves creating unrealistic expectations for their partner. Once these expectations are set, it’s difficult to ever be assuaged by any of the things a partner does for you.
On the other hand, the pressure to meet expectations on Valentine’s Day can make the holiday itself unenjoyable for you. On Valentine’s Day, you want your partner to do something special for you, but expectations can be unattainable and unrealistic. If your partner sets overly high standards for Valentine’s Day, you might spend the whole day stressing out about how your partner feels and reacts to your actions that the day will be completely ruined for you.
In conclusion, Valentine’s Day could easily do more harm than good. Valentine’s Day isn’t very good for anyone at all, single or in a relationship. Maybe you find yourself dreading the holiday because of comparisons, expectations, and pressure. Maybe you simply are single and find yourself feeling lonely. In almost all situations, Valentine’s Day is a distressing holiday that might be wiser to just skip entirely.
