Every year, Feb. 14 rolls around, bringing with it love, joy and pure magic. The sky looks bluer and the sun shines a little bit brighter. Significant others will shower their loves with gifts and affection, go on romantic dates and embrace each other extra-tight. On a college campus, you’ll witness countless amounts of PDA, beautiful and unexpected glimpses of exquisiteness that revitalize our day. Love is truly in the air for all to soak in.

But for those of us who have not yet fallen for that special someone, Valentine’s can look a little more like this: 24 hours spent crying while eating chocolate, crying while passing couples, crying while seeing the colors red and pink, crying in the shower while singing Adele, crying when you see a preview on ABC Family for “The Notebook,” crying with your single friends and cursing the day(s) you didn’t feel like going to the gym.

So for those lonely hearts out there who recently suffered from a painful, tear-filled day of Valentines, here is a list of tips so that next year you won’t be as inclined to send yourself a dozen roses from a “secret admirer.”

1. Leave your room. Sometimes it’s fun to stay home and watch an entire season of “American Horror Story” in one day. “Hey,” you say, “It’s only 12 episodes.” No. This is not a good idea. Six months go by and you realize that the last time you left your room was when you heard the word “Chipotle.” Instead of the crazy cat lady, you’re just crazy. No one wants his or her Valentine to be crazy. Unless you’re Lindsay Lohan’s boyfriend, for obvious reasons.

2. Wear deodorant. I know some people go for the au natural thing. I mean, the cavemen seemed to have a good thing going, right? Wrong. As much as people say that sweat is a turn-on, they mean the look of sweat, not the smell. Unless you are planning on emptying out a good number of crowded rooms for fun — who hasn’t? — try to slap on that magic gel sometimes. “All I want is someone who loves me, and has a sense of humor, and smells like feet,” said no one ever.

3. Don’t go Downtown expecting to find true love. It’s just like every romantic comedy. One minute you’re dancing and the next minute you fall in love with the drunken person standing beside you. You think to yourself, I can get past the traces of vomit on his collar, and the two of you spend the night together, just cuddling. He remembers your name, and the next day he calls you for breakfast. Soon, you’ll be dating. False. This is not real life. Instead, aim to meet people in a more sober setting. Meeting people out is fun, but I doubt a long-term relationship can begin on the foundation of, “So, do you come here often?”

4. Talk to people. Hey, I support the day of silence as much as anyone else. And sometimes, talking to people can get extremely annoying. But listen, think of all of the amazing things that talking has helped people achieve. George W. Bush was able to add new words to the human vernacular, the movie “Gigli” was made and Jimmy McMillan (of the Rent is Too Damn High Party) is allowed to speak. In your case, though, sad, single person, talking can potentially lead to something like a conversation. And hey, having a conversation with someone new may lead to something extremely interesting, like realizing you don’t like them.

5. Smile (and have a good one). Smiling: 60 percent of the time, it works every time.

6. Sometimes look nice. Wearing pajamas to class is the best, without question. We all wanted to do it in high school, but realized that we actually knew the people in our classes. Here, girls and boys alike realize that people in their classes don’t care what they look like and that it’s below freezing temperatures. Thus, everyone is perfectly comfortable confining their wardrobes to a simple pairing of sweatshirts, sweatpants and Uggs. We even tend to judge those who try. But maybe they’re on to something. Maybe, just maybe, people are inclined to be more attracted to other people when they don’t look like a walking sack of lumpy mashed potatoes.

7. Have a positive outlook. Maybe wait until it gets warmer for that one, because Binghamton weather in the winter makes that pretty much impossible. Still, not being depressed all the time is pretty much a good thing. You’ll start looking at the world in a better way, and even start feeling better about yourself. In turn, this new outlook of yours could lead to the creation of long-lasting relationships. Or because you feel so good about yourself, a one-night stand that you’ll forever regret. It’ll probably be the second one, though.

8. Try to tone down the awkward. So you’ve got a bad case of awkward-itis. You’re the only one laughing at your jokes, you don’t understand when people want you to leave a room and that noise that you keep making, you swear that it’s the chair. Nonetheless, you have two options. Find another awkward soul with whom you can make unbearably uncomfortable memories. You go for a hug, they go for the handshake, you wave at someone behind them — oh how fun. Or, you can have a normal life. The first step to curing awkward-itis is admitting there is a problem. From there, become confident, learn how to talk to people, learn how to walk like a person and don’t be so lanky.

After taking these tips to heart, you should find yourself on a dream Valentine’s Day date this time next year. Maybe you’ll be on a yacht watching the sunset or at the top of the Eiffel Tower, or maybe some serious soul searching between you, a pint of ice cream and Jack Dawson will occur.