If you are among the lovely people, like myself, who have been diagnosed with the very serious Chronic Singleness Disorder, then I’m going to venture a guess that Feb. 14 is probably not your favorite day of the year. Yes, Valentine’s Day – when people hold hands, kiss on the South Oval and ogle each other in a manner that makes bystanders horribly uncomfortable. But, fear not. As a human being who possesses a deeply ingrained knowledge of what it means to be single on Valentine’s Day, I’m going to help you deal.

There are three routes you can follow. First, the ‘in denial’ path: just pretend the holiday doesn’t exist. There’s this thing called repression and you’re going to learn how to use it. Turn a blind eye to all the flower bouquets being delivered to your friends and definitely don’t go out to dinner because all you’ll see are couples holding hands over the table like the love-sick fools they are. My best advice is to hole up in your room and blast very unromantic music and anytime someone says valentine or begins the question, "So do you have a date tonight?" just do the mature thing and put your hands over your ears and scream. Not exactly fun, but at least there aren’t any tears (or manly angst for those frat-daddies with tender hearts).

Next, you can take what I like to call the Taylor Swift route: just be straight bitter. You can watch Love Actually and The Notebook and complain to your ceiling about all your exes and be in a horrible mood all day. Basically, you can be the person everyone avoids or fears. Hiss at anyone who looks remotely happy, dress in all black and maybe even scream, “LOVE IS A LIE” in the middle of campus. Listen to Bon Iver curled up in your bed, eat chocolate and ice cream like it’s your job and even cry a little bit because when will someone love me. I don’t advocate the Taylor Swift route. If you’re seriously this devastated about being single then you should probably calm down. You’re in college. You have the rest of your life to be attached at the hip to another human being.

The third route, which is my personal favorite and the only actual way to enjoy this day, is the embrace singledom route. When you wake up in the morning on the fateful day of Feb. 14, I encourage you to utilize this mental pep talk: “Hey, (insert your name), guess what? Today is Valentine’s Day, and you don’t have a Valentine. Instead of being a little pansy baby about it, you’re gonna enjoy it. Let’s get weird." Then get out bed, dress in a snappy little number and enjoy your day like a normal human being. Don’t make your friends, who have significant others, feel bad, don’t glare at people holding hands, and don't cry because that is so depressing and unnecessary. A fun alternative to crying: blast "Single Ladies" and drive around campus, because I guarantee you that you will make someone’s day (probably mine). Go to dinner with your single friends and if you don’t have any single friends I’m so sorry. Get some single friends.

While many of us single ladies and gentlemen think about Valentine’s Day with a strong sense of distaste or dread, I’ve learned to wear my title as a single person like a badge of honor. Don’t get me wrong, I know being in a relationship is cool, but being single isn’t an actual death sentence, so tone down the melodrama. And if you feel a mental breakdown coming on, just remember that a married person invented Valentine’s Day. Probably. I don’t actually know, but the thought helps, doesn’t it? I promise you’ll find your Prince or Princess Charming, eventually, but until then take a nice, deep breath and pretty please don’t channel your inner Taylor Swift.