By Brandi Patterson

Valentine’s Day was about a week ago, and like millions of other people in this world, I was single this time around, and I had a blast. However, there was something that I noticed from many of my other fellow singles – they were either bitter or held other sentiments because they had no significant other to share the day with.

Personally, I believe that it is beyond sad when this phenomenon occurs, and it isn’t limited to only Valentine’s Day either. This is something that occurs 365 days a year. Unfortunately, I used to be a person who held negative sentiments when it came to seeing other people in relationships. Luckily, I came to some realizations that pulled me out of this terrible place of bitterness.

Being bitter or feeling some type of way will not aid in you getting a boyfriend and/or girlfriend. So just go ahead and let that hurt go, fam. If it happens to be that your best friend, cousin, or siblings are all in relationships, BE HAPPY FOR THEM!

I say this because at the end of the day after all of your negative feelings have settled, you will still be single. I know that it may be a hard pill to swallow for some, but people have to come to the simple realization that it’s just not their season to be in a relationship with anyone.

Now that you realize that it’s your season to be single, use all of that energy that it took to be bitter and use it for falling in love with yourself. Falling in love with another human being is quite risky, but when you fall in love with your true self, you have absolutely nothing to lose.

You would do this with yourself just as you would with another person. Figure out what you like and don’t like to do; Go on dates(with yourself); find out what truly interests you, and the like. I promise it’ll be one of the best things you can do for yourself.

And let’s be honest here – how can you truly have joy within a relationship with someone else, when you have no idea who you are as a human being? Exactly, you cannot, and this is why falling in love with yourself is such an important concept to understand.

I previously stated that I had a blast on Valentine’s Day as a single, and here’s how – I had been previously spending time with myself, and I figured out the things that I enjoy doing. I learned that I love to go to the movies and that shopping is extremely therapeutic.

I love being single, and so should you. So if you are someone that’s holding feelings of resentment or struggling with enjoying the single life, I challenge you to take advantage of this season of singleness and fall in love with yourself.