Valentine’s Day is the worst known holiday for anyone who’s ever been through a tough breakup or who just finds themselves single and sitting on the couch with a crappy box of Target dollar section chocolates watching reruns of “The Office.”

Yet, there are many ways to avoid sitting home alone this Valentine’s Day, and it’s possible to enjoy your day without feeling as if you’re going to constantly throw up from all of the gross, lovey-dovey couples making out because they’re oh-so-thankful that they found each other. After all, Valentine’s Day this year is on a Wednesday, and we would never want such an overrated holiday to ruin your wonderful hump day.

So, what follows are my three steps to keeping your Chick-Fil-A breakfast in your stomach this year enjoying your Coke at lunch without worrying about your best friend and his girl showing cute, little displays of affection which may lead to you wanting to slap someone.

The first step to embracing the Valentine’s Day vibe is to accept the fact that you’re single, and there is definitely not much that you can change about that in a day unless you’re either a god or goddess, which you’re definitely not. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being single; in fact 45.2% of all Americans over the age of 18 are single, so you are not alone, my friend. Being single can be freeing and it allows you more independence to do what you like. The American Psychology Association has also discovered that singles are more likely to have better social relationships with family and friends and find themselves living more fulfilling lives. As well as having better social relationships, it has been suggested that singles are also less likely to experience negative emotions.

The next step in making sure your Valentine’s Day is one to remember is to splurge on yourself. You are worth spending a few bucks on. Buy some good chocolate for yourself. If you haven’t heard about it already, Ghirardelli is having a 25% off sale on all Valentine’s Day items and gifts this week only, and there is a free hot cocoa sample with every order. So, if you’re trying to get some good stuff, go hit up Ghirardelli and Target. They both always have great chocolate! Target also has cards that you can buy for your parents (or friends) to give them on this sentimental day. There is nothing wrong with using a little bit of your gas money for the week to make your day much better.

The third step to making this stupid holiday great is to distract yourself from the gross couples that walk around school being all lovey in the hallways, kissing and hugging, being disgusting and all. Engross yourself in schoolwork and bettering the way you look. Don’t look around while in the hallways and if you do see couples, scream “get a room!’ or something like that. It would be funny and would make everyone around you feel uncomfortable.

Remember, you are the star today, not all the fake love couples in the hallway. Today is not just a day about loving your non-existent significant other, it’s a day to love yourself, because if no one else will (which, someone will most likely love you one day, but that’s beside the point) then you have to love yourself, girl. (Or guy. I know it’s a tough world out there).