CREDIT: IO9.COM
Avoid looking like the third wheel on Valentine's Day

For many, Valentine's Day is a much-anticipated time. Couples all over the world celebrate their relationship on the 14th of February by the giving of roses, going out for dinner, or the laundry list of date ideas noted above. For some, however, Valentine's Day can be a painful reminder of incessant loneliness. Those who are single and haven't yet found that special someone may be hard-pressed to fit in on a day that is exclusively reserved for couples. If you find yourself falling in that category, thankfully, I've got your back. Here are five tips that will surely help you avoid the Valentine's Day blues:

Keep busy
This is topped at number one, as it is most important. The thing you have to keep in mind is that, although it may be Valentine's Day, it really is just another day during the week. Follow your routine and keep busy like you normally would. If you go to the gym, do homework or usually watch The Office on Thursday nights, keep doing it. Valentine's Day is a day cherished by couples, but is mostly a commercially influenced day for restaurants and flower shops to make money.

Be Around Your Other Single Friends
There can't be anything worse as a single than spending the day as a fifth wheel with a couple of couples. That will only constantly remind you of what you don't have. Leave the lovebirds to themselves and spend Valentine's Day with people who are in the same boat as you. Stick around your single friends so you don't feel out of place.

Mingle With Other Singles
The best thing about being single on Valentine's Day is the vulnerability of other singles on a day that is meant for couples. It allows those who are single a chance to mingle and meet each other. Valentine's Day is home to many Traffic Light parties, which is a gathering of other singles that blatantly show, for lack of a better word, their "availability." Wearing red means you're taken, yellow means you're undecided and green means you're single and ready to mingle. Choose which colour to wear based on your situation or wear all three and confuse the heck out of people. That's always fun. Turn Valentine's Day into a memorable Singles Awareness Day.

Discount Chocolate
The sweetest part of Valentine's Day is the discount chocolate available the following day (see what I did there?). Satisfy your sweet tooth and relieve the Valentine's Day blues at the same time with the money you saved by stuffing your face in cheap, delicious chocolate. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Online Dating
If you follow all of these steps and are still down because of Valentine's Day, then the only thing left that I can say is go create an eHarmony or Lavalife profile to avoid reading something like this next year.