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Chisom Winifred: Don’t Get Too Pressed About Valentine’s Day
Don’t let online strangers make you develop low self-esteem because you didn’t meet their unrealistic standards. No allow anybody pepper you.
“Do you have a Val?” Someone asked this on Twitter the other day and the thread was hilarious and full of shade.
After laughing too at the hilarious comments, I couldn’t help but think that while we blow off steam on twitter and laugh at funny memes and replies, these things have a way of getting stuck in our subconscious.
If you are the kind of person who unconsciously soaks in this kind of information, this is for you:
Don’t get sucked in
Don’t get sucked in to Valentine’s day drama. If you are single, there is no need to feel terrible because, truth be told, you are not missing out on a lot. If you are not single, what is that special extravagant thing your partner is going to do for you that he/she has never done before?
Being in a good relationship is great but don’t allow anyone pressure you into getting into a relationship because of Valentine – it makes absolutely no sense. The truth is, we actually don’t know the intricacies of most of the relationships we admire and wish to have on social media. We don’t know what they are like off-camera. We wish for what we don’t even know.
Valentine’s day is also a day to show love to the less privileged. Show love to your siblings, parents and even the sick around you. There’s no law written anywhere that you must show love to your partner alone.
If you are single, after all the bants and “God when” and “Oluwa wetin dey occur”, don’t allow social media make you start chatting up that old ex or someone you already know you’re not compatible with. Which is better – a relationship where you are unhappy or to be single and happy?
Being single can be great! It’s also a good opportunity to discover yourself and be prepared for what comes next. Should you feel so unloved, get yourself a gift on the 14th of February. Gift yourself that thing you’ve always wanted and will make you happy and write a love note to yourself. Celebrate your strength and grace, celebrate yourself for overcoming all those trying times you never believed you could come out of. Do you know who you are? You are special and you are strong! At the right time, what’s yours will come to you. Make a deliberate choice to be happy, you owe yourself that much.
Don’t be overly dramatic
Don’t be dramatic about your expectations of your partner if you are currently in a relationship. Because Kanye is probably going to cover Times Square with roses for Kim and Banky will fly Adesua to the Maldives for a special weekend doesn’t mean you should underrate that gift your partner will get for you. Recognize and appreciate the thought behind the gift and not the size of it. Don’t get rude and dramatic. You don’t know the untold stories of other people’s relationships so be happy and content in your own.
Don’t let online strangers make you develop low self-esteem because you didn’t meet their unrealistic standards. No allow anybody pepper you.
You could also try something different this Valentine’s Day: surprise your parent(s) with a thoughtful gift and note, thanking them for being the best thing in your life. It mustn’t even be your parents. Trust me, just put a smile on someone’s face that day and your own day will be made.
