Ah, Valentine’s Day. A great day for couples, a depressing or borderline disgusting day for the bitter singles, and a holiday created by greeting card companies by people who don’t care.

This column is for you, bitter singles!

Unless you actually have a Valentine, February 14, is just another day, except you feel more lonely. It’s all too easy to get caught up in all of the Valentine’s day hoopla and excitement, only to be let down when you look around and there is no one. I hope this column can serve as something to get ideas flowing in your head to beat the Valentine’s blues.*

1.   Find another Valentine-less friend. If you have no one else, at least you’ll have each other.

2.   Either make the day a grand event for the two of you, or a day of laziness. This year, a friend of mine and I are going for the lazy route, which will entail sweats, a lot of food, and the one truest love: Netflix.

3.   If you want to make Valentine’s Day an extravagant event with your friend, might I suggest: Dress up and go to a fancy restaurant, go to the movies and get that candy that you always want but never get, treat yourself! Do something that the main characters would do in a cheesy romantic comedy.

4.   Use this day to test your culinary capabilities! Find a fancy-looking recipe to make with your friend, because what could go wrong? You can have fun dancing around the kitchen, and the outcome is food!

5.   Go to the park. Bring some snacks, and get some sunlight (because right now in Ventura there is plenty of that).

If you’re asking yourself what exactly this has to do with happiness, the answer is simple. if you don’t have a Valentine, Valentine’s Day can still be fun and happy. While it’s probably nice to spend the day of romance with your significant other, you don’t need a significant other to enjoy yourself. You are a strong independent wo/man!

*It should be noted that a grand number of people reading this are more than likely teenagers. To you, my fellow teens: We’re teenagers! We’ve got time!