It’s that time of the year again where there are chocolates and roses in the stores, hearts on the walls, and the constant question, “Who’s your valentine?”

No one wants to feel alone during this season, especially when all your friends are in their own relationships. Valentine’s Day was just made to make lonely people feel lonelier. 

Even as a teenager, it’s very pressuring to rush into a relationship with the bombardment of engagement ring commercials, movies, and social media. The common message: You cannot be happy unless you’re with someone else.

At this age, we change so much and thus aren’t mature enough to keep a stable relationship like the teens in movies do. The media is hyping us to grow up faster than we must. 

As a teenage girl, single and living in 2021, I constantly get the question of who my valentine is. I have to awkwardly say I don’t have one. That is followed by questions of who I want to be my valentine or whether anyone is going to ask me.

With confusion, I have to awkwardly state that it’s not necessary for me to search for a Valentine’s Day love as seen in the movies. I remind them that a high school student has more to focus on and friends to hang out with than a temporary relationship.

I’m here to tell you that no matter what section you walk through in Walgreens, the commercials you see on TV, or that everyone in your friend group all has a “other half”, it is OK to be single during this lonely season.