“You can’t find happiness in love; it starts in yourself,” says Mrs. Jessica Olmo.

So why does everyone act as though a high school heartbreak is the end of the world? Like there’s not another person who could make your day with a simple text message, or knows exactly how to meet your needs.

In all reality, it is very rare for someone to find a soul mate in high school. What may seem to be the perfect relationship may actually be a dysfunctional nightmare for the two involved and their close friends and classmates. Teens often mistake “love” for infatuation because they simply don’t know the difference, making break-ups extremely emotional.

Senior Michelle Gama, who recently dealt with a break-up, is glad to not be tied down any longer and is back to loving the single life.

“I enjoyed having someone to be with and always having someone to talk to, but boyfriends are too time consuming and take away from higher priorities,” she said.

For those who have not yet experienced it, independence in high school is not only an admirable quality, but essential at this age. Teenage years are meant to be filled with epic nights and making memories, and being held back from experiencing these due to a relationship may lead to regret and resentment.

And we all know those people who think they can get the best of both worlds by having a relationship, while going out and acting like they have no strings attached. One of the partners usually falls a bit harder than the other, and it usually ends due to a sticky love triangle because an outside guy or girl doesn’t quite know his/her limits.

One of LHS’s biggest playboys, who wishes to remain unnamed (due to his current girlfriend) states, “Why be tied down to one girl when the relationship is most likely not going to work out. We’re in high school…I can’t be committed to one girl…”

Shocking, some may think, but it really shouldn’t be. Daily on Facebook people publicize how much they hate their ex, or change their relationship status from “in a relationship” to “single” or “it’s complicated” just because of a small fight. Not only is this publicly humiliating, but very immature.

If you don’t like getting screwed over on a weekly basis, or the “don’t hate the player, hate the game” hypothesis doesn’t work for you, here’s a simple solution: get back on the ‘book, change your relationship status to single, and get back on your grind, because you most likely aren’t finding the man/woman of your dreams strolling down E wing.

If you want to be happy and reduce the amount of stress in your school day, stop forcing relationships and realize you should find who you are and what makes you happy. Eventually when you’re mature and ready, you’ll maybe find the one for you and live happily ever after.

Until then, do you.