- Despite being a jubilant celebration of love, research has linked Valentine’s Day with the “Valentine’s Day blues”.
- Experts have recommended several Valentine’s Day tips for mental health during the holidays.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated across the globe to honor romance and love—culturally, religiously, and commercially. Around the time of February 7th, the world struts into a week of love filled with personal and timeless traditions.
However, for some people, Valentine’s Day celebrations may bring with them holiday blues and similar negative syndromes.
Valentine’s Day And Mental Health
Surveys over the years have revealed that celebrations like Valentine’s Day have a detrimental impact on mental health.
Whether it is from painful memories of a past relationship or anxiety over paying bills, Valentine’s Day blues can be easily triggered. Such a mental health condition is usually characterized by:
- Depressive symptoms
- Stress
- anxiety
- Social withdrawal
- Overwhelmed emotions
What Causes Valentine’s Day Blues?
Research attributes the causes of Valentine’s Day depression to:
- Belied societal expectations of the perfect “romance”
- Frantic attempts to find a partner to spend the holidays with
- Over-commercialization of romantic gestures like compulsorily buying expensive presents, etc.
- Financial worries related to shopping, planning dinner dates, etc.
- Fatigue from planning a perfect Valentine’s Day outing, etc.
Impact Of Valentine’s Day Depression
A blizzard of ads inextricably linking consumerism with romance is typical of the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day.
Companies promote the notion that being in a relationship is the best thing in the world and that the best and the only way to prove your affection to your partner is through exorbitant presents or other expensive romantic gestures.
Especially for people who are not in a relationship, Valentine’s week can be stressful. It makes them unwillingly reflect on what they have not achieved in their past relationships.
They tend to associate negative feelings with past memories of the holidays and recapitulate their painful breakups or separations. Advertising related to Valentine’s week serves as only a reminder of their loneliness.
It is often believed that Valentine’s week is a happy time for people in relationships. This may not be true for married and unmarried couples going through problems like relationship issues, financial insecurity, and so forth. The celebrations can also trigger “anniversary reactions” in people who have been through painful divorces or spousal deaths.
How To Get Over Valentine’s Day Blues
While getting through Valentine’s week can be tough, certain measures can actually help you navigate through the trying times. Consider the following measures to beat the Valentine’s Day blues:
- Valentine’s Day honors love—may that be of the self or a partner. It can be a great day to exercise small rituals of self-love like buying yourself a little present or going to dinner at your favorite restaurant.
- Consider visiting someone or catching up with someone you love like an old friend or family member.
- Branch out. Celebrate with folks you know need company and start a new tradition.
- Consider volunteering for causes that you are passionate about. This not only helps others but also improves your mood and well-being.
If you think going through Valentine’s week can be troubling, consider re-interpreting the meaning behind the celebration, possibly along lines of self-love. Nurture yourself while you are on the lookout for a potential romance. Such an approach can spell wonders for your mental health.
