Just when it feels like the holidays are over, we find ourselves jumping right back into preparing for and celebrating a new one. While some people think Valentine’s Day is a hokey holiday and a waste of time, or just an excuse to spoil your sweetie, for many people it’s more complicated. Valentine’s Day for a lot of people can be a challenging, bittersweet day filled with mixed emotions and sadness. The run up to Valentine’s Day alone can cause anxiety for many who may feel like it’s impossible to escape all the overly sappy cards, affectionate couples, heart decorations in every store, proud displays of pink candy boxes, and seemingly endless amounts of romance.
When you think of people who may not like Valentine’s Day, you might guess that it would be people who may have recently had a bad relationship or rough breakup. But there’s another group to consider, and it may surprise you to hear it’s older adults.
As people age, the challenges of heartbreak grow. Their older relatives will most all be gone, they’ll have lost friends and other loved ones, and most difficult of all they may have lost their spouse or partner they spent most of their lives with. Whether they’re reminiscing about their departed loved ones or trying to get back into dating, this can be a difficult day. Studies show that finding love at age 60 can be harder than finding love at any other age.
It is important to recognize that the seniors in your life may be having a difficult time with the coming holiday, so make sure to keep them in your thoughts and think of ways you can reach out to them and help them through it.