Valentine’s Day can be a depressing day when you’re single, but it doesn’t have to be. As much as we like to stew in our bitter thoughts about being without love on the day of love, there are ways to get through it in a positive way, too. Here’s how you can celebrate Valentine’s Day when you’re riding solo:
- Empower yourself. The first thing is to get into the mindset of braving the day without a date. For some people this is a cake walk, but for others and for those who have recently been left with a broken heart, it can be difficult. The first step is empowering yourself to make this day amazing, even if you’re doing it alone.
- Book a spa visit. Nothing says pick-me-up like a relaxing massage or a mani-pedi. It’ll make you feel fresh and give you something to look forward to on the day. And really, who doesn’t love massages and manicures?
- Plan an amazing meal for yourself. Eat something you love, whether it’s something you cook for yourself, or something brought to you by the delivery guy. Don’t worry about your diet or how many calories you’ll be consuming; you’re entitled to a cheat every now and then. If you want the whole pizza, then eat the whole pizza. It’s YOUR day.
- Go to a hot yoga class. Valentine’s Day can be a stressful day when you’re single and dateless, so warding off some of those energies by hitting the gym or taking a relaxing fitness class like hot yoga will feel fantastic. Plus, doing something healthy will also make you feel more energetic and confident to get through the day.
- Make plans with your other single friends. If you have single friends, try and plan a get together to go out and enjoy the night as a group or even just with one friend as a date. Take silly pictures and hashtag #singleAF on your Instagram posts. Make light of the situation and surround yourself with people who make you laugh.
- Go to a sports bar/lounge. Sports bars aren’t exactly the setting for the standard romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, so these are usually safe places to go and are mostly guaranteed to be crawling with other single people who are enjoying their day and nights without someone by their side. And who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone too!
- Wear something that makes you feel amazing. Sometimes it’s just as simple as putting on an outfit you feel your best in to make you feel great on a day you’re not initially overly excited about. Whether it’s your favorite t-shirt and a your best pair of jeans or that hot little black dress you keep hiding in the back of your closet, dare to wear whatever makes you happiest.
- Drink wine. This goes without saying, but wine is always a great answer to just about everything. Buy a nice bottle you normally wouldn’t and enjoy every drop to yourself.
- Go shopping for yourself. If you were in a relationship, you might have spent money on the person you were dating. Instead, spend some on yourself and buy yourself something you’ve been eyeing or put it towards a trip you’ve been dying to go on. Better yet, go on a mini-trip for Valentine’s Day. Single ladies road trip, anyone?
- Buy new pajamas or lingerie. PJs and lingerie are always on sale around Valentine’s Day, so buy yourself a new pair and cozy up with your latest Netflix binge or get yourself some lingerie and read a book in bed. Lingerie isn’t just for relationships.
- Write down your relationship goals. Sometimes just writing down what you want is enough to put you in a great and more comfortable mindset. On Valentine’s Day, a lot of us singles go through a ton of emotions as we scroll through our social media newsfeeds and hear and see proclamations of love all over the place. Instead of crying about it, do something healthy and write down the things you want and appreciate in a person and what you hope Valentine’s Day will look like next year. It might seem crazy, but it helps.
- Reflect on yourself. Taking the time to reflect on yourself and your life as it is here and now, whether you’re alone or not is the healthiest choice you can make. You might be celebrating Valentine’s Day alone, but your life is probably still amazing the other 364 days out of the year — so drink wine, rock your mani-pedi and your little black dress, and try to focus on that.
