Mental Matters
By Dr. Jennifer Goble

I enjoyed randomly asking people, “What do you think of Valentines Day?” Their answers were spontaneous and delightful.

I hope you enjoy them too.

•“My husband and I have an agreement not to buy anything for each other. But, it is embarrassing when someone asks me what my husband gave me for Valentines Day, and I say ‘nothing.’”

•“Valentine’s is my least favorite holiday. It makes people feel insecure about themselves, and it pressures people to be in unnecessary relationships.”

•“It sucks!”

•“It’s a love-hate thing. I go way overboard every year, and it doesn’t pay off. But, I’m in a new relationship this year, and I’m going all out again.”

•“It is what it is.”

•“I think, why not? Sure it’s built on commercial profit, but why not enjoy a day of love? It’s a good thing.”

•“It is a day to think about the person you love. I like making it special.”

•“The day to recognize those you love and are special in your life. Throughout the year we tend to forget to say and do, letting the ones we love know.

“Valentine’s Day reminds us! Sad some only show their feelings one day a year. Not enough for most people and shouldn’t be!”

•“It should be about love and caring about each other.”

•“While I appreciate the notion that Valentine’s is a day marked to celebrate love, it seems a little silly we need a calendar date dedicated to ‘love.’

“Love is something we should celebrate every day. Trying to pin it all on one day just sets us up for 1) disappointment, as it can’t meet our expectations, and 2) makes us suckers for retailer marketing ploys.”

•“You mean Single Awareness Day?”

•“I don’t have a Valentine, so it is a sad day for me.”

•“I’m not over Christmas. Seeing all the stuff I am supposed to buy, gives me a headache.”

•“It’s exciting. My favorite holiday. I even drove to Loveland to send my Valentines, because I wanted them to have the special postmark.”

My Valentine’s mental health advice: “Expect nothing and enjoy everything.” It is a better philosophy than “Expect everything and enjoy nothing.”

Wishing you all a day of loving yourself.  Until the next time: Live while you live!

(Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of My Clients…My Teachers, and the blogger and encourager of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.)

The post What do you think of Valentine’s Day? appeared first on South Platte Sentinel.

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