Dear Janine,

I ended my 6 year relationship 3 months ago and although my family was shocked, I’m happy with my decision. Do you have any ideas on how I can celebrate being single on Valentine’s Day, as I’ve noticed some people in my life are feeling sorry for me?

Regards, Happily Single

Dear Happily Single

Good for you! If you ended a relationship that wasn’t in your best interests anymore, then I applaud you for having the courage to get out.

Ah, Valentine’s Day. Whether we choose to celebrate it or not, we are constantly bombarded by it as it has become a big commercial enterprise over the last few years. Being happily single, I would suggest hosting a dinner party for your single friends. Whether you do it at home or choose to go out, being in a group of like-minded friends will lift your spirits and surely be a fun night out. You could even add in a fun theme and like at Thanksgiving you can go around the table and everybody can say what they enjoy about being single.

I get that some people won’t understand that you’re happy being on your own, most often it’s because they can’t imagine themselves being happy single and project that onto you. Just ignore it, it’s none of their business and you don’t have to explain or defend your decisions to anyone, especially not your personal relationship decisions! Instead use this time to discover even more about yourself, take up a new hobby, or finally learn a skill or take a trip that’s been on your bucket list.

Your relationship status is just one small part of your identity, being happy and secure in your own company though is absolutely priceless, something we should all strive for regardless of whether we’re single or not!

Have fun!