Oh, how love is in the air. It’s February, and Valentine’s Day is the Hallmark holiday signifying love, chocolates, flowers and togetherness, but not everyone has found Mr. or Ms. Right just yet. For singles, Valentine’s Day can just be another day to lament the day’s solitude, but there are plenty of ways to be happy on the 14th, even if you are single. Valentine’s Day is more about being with the people you love than being in love with someone else.
1. Avoid labeling yourself as “single” on this day, and instead, focus on all the loved ones you DO have in your life, from family to close friends. Express your gratitude with a letter of appreciation, a phone call or even a text.
2. Optimists, consider the fact that at the end of the day, Valentine’s Day is virtually a retail endorsed holiday: everyday you should be telling loved ones that you love them! If this holds true, then you’re probably savings dozens of dollars since you don’t need to fall into the commercially driven holiday in the first place!
3. Gather with friends and family—they’re the ones you truly love.
4. Set up future dates and events where you can meet new people, be it to date or just to add new friends to your life, meeting new people and building relationships is always moving you forward.
5. Love yourself: order yourself your favorite dinner and treat yourself with your favorite food, beverage and people.
6. Get involved on campus—many Universities offer Valentine’s Day gatherings for the dating and dateless alike. Shows, performances and gathering can be a great way to get out on the Cupid’s day and if nothing comes out of it, you’ll at least get a few handfuls of chocolate candies.
7. Get together with some other singles and play games—ignore the whole holiday itself, and just have a fun times with the ones you already love!
8. On a lighter note: MTV’s Catfish is a great program. You can stop your melancholy mood and get on Hulu; enjoy watching other people get suckered punched from virtual love in a comedic, yet tragic fashion this Valentine’s Day.
9. If you do end up staying home alone, please do not turn on the following channels: TLC, Lifetime, Hallmark… ABC Family, Disney… TBS, TNT, USA… or any other channel bound to play an ooey-gooey love drama for V-Day. Aim for a comedy like Dumb & Dumber(er) or Superbad. If you’re not looking for light humor this Thursday, go to the other end of the spectrum with some serious action or horror flicks that will get your mind off the date!
10. Dare to do something beyond your norm; go to hot yoga in the morning, go to a kick-boxing class, try a day at the boxing clinic or even a local martial arts center in your area. Training your brain to do new things can be a good way to get it off the old things.
11. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen, stop by to see children at a local hospital or donate to a good cause on this day. This is a great way to get your mind off your problems and see the world’s greater problems that likely dwarf your down in the dumps love day.
So in summary,
DON’T: Go to the mall, go to a movie theater, go to a fancy restaurant (alone), watch any TV network with three letters, avoid being the third wheel with a couple, try to avoid social media & Facebook for the day, and definitely avoid Taylor Swift, Lifehouse, Ed Sheerhan, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Bieber or any other potential goopy love singers you have on your playlist. . . OH, and no Ryan Gosling films today.
DO: Learn something new, volunteer, watch a comedy or uptempo action film, pay respect to yourself via your favorite carry out and hang out with loved ones in the form of friends and family.
Most importantly, remember you’re not the only single person out there, and good things happen to those who wait!
