The Valentine’s Dilema
The big day is coming up, with all of the pressure, stress, trappings, dressings, heady expectations and horrific trepidation that you may expect and the truth is that we have created this monster ourselves. Valentines Day is the commercialization of love and marriage as only the show-and-tell culture can do it. Big, loud and all about the show, it puts a lot of pressure on couples of all sorts.
V-Day Pressure on Relationships
Every relationship has issues on Valentine’s day, from the slightly uncomfortable to the outright angry.
For a very new relationship, Valentine’s Day makes them put it all out there, even if they aren’t ready. Not sure if you’re really even dating your new partner? The expectation is that, if you are, you’ll have a date that night. If you don’t make a date for that night, you’re not dating now, and probably won’t be in the future.
For the experienced couples, Valentines Day can be very different, depending on the health of the relationship. If things are going well and generally healthy and happy, Valentine’s may be an excuse for date night, though a commercialized one. If the relationship is not going well and is, in fact, very unhealthy at the time, Valentine’s day can be one more added time of stress and resentment added to the mix. It can be a bitter reminder of better days or a sad glimpse of an unhappy future.
If you and your spouse are going through a difficult time in your marriage and the thought of Valentines Day is an unhappy one, skip the chocolates this year and make an appointment for Marriage Counseling. It may be the best gift you can give yourselves as a couple.
