Valentine's Day can bring out negative emotions for many who are not in a romantic partnership.
From chocolate advertising to mushy Instagram posts, the one love-filled day of the year
The day’s focus on love and romance, especially seen in advertising and on social media, can be challenging to experience and sometimes lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
"I think the interesting thing, especially with how Valentine's Day is marketed, a lot of being coupled-up and being in a relationship," Natasha Williams, a registered psychologist, told CTV's Your Morning on Tuesday. "Sometimes what happens is, especially with this day, you have people who are single, who are feeling a bit down depressed, a little anxious about the day itself."
Valentine's Day may be just one day on the calendar, but Williams said negative emotions it fosters can linger and may even become worse.
"Afterwards, what ends up happening is that those symptoms of depression and anxiety remain," she said. "What we now need to look at is what we need going forward, to really address those underlying symptoms."
Williams says Valentine's Day should be seen as a time to focus on all the types of love in people's lives, not just the romantic.
A good start, she said, is to focus on self-love and acceptance.
"The first thing you want to look at is how do we love ourselves… It's not necessarily about how you're receiving love from others, (but) how are you receiving love for yourself," Williams said.
She suggests people write self-affirmations on sticky notes, for example, to remind themselves of their positive qualities. Williams also suggests steering clear of social media on Valentine's Day, too.
"People are showing their best lives on social media," Williams said. "So sometimes we get caught up in all that, and then start to look at our own lives and sort of what we believe we lack."
To hear all of Williams' tips for enjoying Valentine's Day, click the video at the top of this article.
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