Happy Valentine’s Day UNC!!
Here are a few tips for having a healthy and happy Valentine’s Day…
DO
1. Spread the love. Commit a random act of kindness for someone else. You can find inspiration here.
2. Use condoms if you choose to have sex. Sexually Transmitted Diseases and unintended pregnancies are not ideal valentines. Using a condom will reduce the odds that either event will occur.
FREE lubricant and condoms (including flavored and extra-large) are available throughout the Campus Health building. Stop by!
3. Limit alcohol use if you choose to drink. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests limiting alcohol use because it can lead to physical injuries. UNC CWS adds that excessive alcohol use impairs an individual mentally, and that in terms of sexual assault, force can include the use of substances and/or the use of alcohol or other drugs.
4. Continue to respect your partner’s boundaries when it comes to sex. Just because it is Valentine’s Day does not mean that their boundaries will change. More about consensual sex can be found here.
DON’T
1. Feel Lonely. If you are single, remember that there are plenty of single people out there. If you are single, celebrate with your friends or family by having a Valentine’s Day party or a movie marathon.
2. Spend money excessively. You may feel pressure from peers or all the red and pink around you to go all out for your partner. However, grand gestures can cost a lot of money. If you decide to spend money, maybe it would be better to buy small items for your partner throughout the year rather than spend a lot of money at one time and deal with the financial stress soon thereafter.
Save money on celebrating Valentine’s Day by cooking a great meal at home (recipes for two can be found here), test driving fun cars for free this weekend, or going on a hike at Duke Gardens. Free e-cards are available here, here, and here.
3. Send sext messages; you never know where they might end up. One survey found that among young adults, 37% of females and 47% of males say that they have had sexts intended for someone else shared with them.
4. Light candles. Candles are a fire hazard. Flameless candles that use light bulbs instead of fire are available at many area stores. Remember that if you live on campus the UNC Community Living Standards state that:
“Storage of any item(s) that may pose a fire hazard in a residence hall room is prohibited. Items may include, but are not limited to any open flame source (e.g. celebratory or decorative candles), incense, hookah pipes, live cut trees (e.g. Christmas Trees) or flammable liquids.”
Do you have any tips for celebrating Valentine’s Day? Post a comment below, tweet us @UNCCampusHealth, or post on our Facebook wall!
UNC Healthy Heels 