Welcome back, advice lovers. This week is our special Valentine’s Day edition, and it’s coming just in time: I’m here to rescue you from regrettable rendezvous, planning fatigue and potential first-date failures. As always, if you have a question I didn’t answer, submit it to this anonymous form, and I’ll help you out next time.

I’ve been seeing someone casually for a while now, but I don’t know whether or not I should keep pursuing it. I like him as a person and I enjoy hanging out with him, but the idea of telling my friends that I’ve been spending time with him makes me feel so embarrassed because of the way he acts around other people. I feel bad about that, and I do genuinely like seeing him, but I don’t know how to get past feeling so uncomfortable. 

It’s difficult to be compatible with someone you’re embarrassed to be seen with. If you don’t feel comfortable introducing this person to your friends, there probably isn’t a great path forward for you two to start a relationship. This split between how you feel about him in private and in public seems like it’s been causing you a lot of stress, which is important to pay attention to. A relationship should make you happy, not constantly worry you! If he isn’t fitting into how you envision your life right now, then it’s best to be upfront and end things before either of you have invested too much time in the budding relationship. It’s not fair to him to continue spending time together if he thinks your current relationship is going to progress further, and it’s not fair to you to feel constantly anxious to be seen with him. On a side note, if most of your stress about this has come from a fear of how your friends will react, it’s also worth taking a second to think about how they generally treat you. Good friends should make an effort to be supportive if you’re introducing them to someone who makes you happy — you deserve that!

I really love my girlfriend, but I feel like I’m planning all of our dates and it’s been getting tiring. For Valentine’s Day I want to do something special, but I’d really like it if she contributed to the planning so it wasn’t just me putting in the effort. How do I bring this up without making her think that I’m annoyed with her or that I haven’t enjoyed the last few dates we’ve been on?

If this isn’t something you’ve ever discussed with your girlfriend, she probably isn’t aware that you’re feeling date-planning burnout. Have a quick conversation with her the next time you’re together, and mention that you’d love to hear some of her suggestions for Valentine’s Day activities or restaurants. If she’s receptive, great! You can lean on her input more and take a break from your constant planning. But if she’s noncommittal or passes the planning back to you, it’s worth having a longer talk about how you’ve been feeling lately. It’s entirely fair to ask her to take more of an equal role in organizing your time together. Relationships go both ways, and you deserve to feel as special as you make your girlfriend feel.

I want to find my Georgetown man, but I refuse to download any of the dating apps my friends keep telling me to get. Is there any hope for me?

Yes! It’s completely possible to meet someone organically; it just might take a little more effort than swiping on an app. Putting yourself out there is the best way to start talking with someone new, and this can develop into a genuine connection. Take a risk and try something you wouldn’t normally do, whether that’s a new sport, activity or social event. Seeking out new situations, even if they feel a little daunting, can lead to a connection that might surprise you! 

Is it a good idea to go on a first date on Valentine’s Day?

Absolutely not. If you can’t wait until next weekend, do yourself a favor and make a reservation for Feb. 15 instead. 

Caroline Brown is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. This is the ninth installment of her column “Calling in With Caroline.”