Valentine’s Day is the day of the year when everything is obnoxiously displayed with red roses, heart-shaped chocolates and avalanches of pink. A day celebrated on February 14th, with a prequel of at least 14 days of cheesy movies and unlimited pizza orders for the Western Hemisphere’s singledom.
Jokes aside, Valentine’s Day can take its toll on you if you’re single. Even if you’re not the kind who usually cares about flowers and plush toys, mid-February can be quite depressing for a single person — and it can be even more depressing for a single woman.
It doesn’t have to be this way, though.
Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be a celebration of all things kitschy and fluffy, but a holiday dedicated to love in all its forms. Regardless of whether you’re celebrating your 50th Valentine’s Day with your partner, or if you truly love your friends, your pet iguana or (especially) yourself, Valentine’s Day should be about love — and not only about couples.
So, single ladies, I call this: Let’s take over the Valentine madness and own ourselves this year!
Yes, we can!
Let’s Shut Down Our Social Media
... at least until the Valenapocalypse is over.
Really, avoid Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and keep your mind free of all the extra-filtered photos shared on February 14th. You may not usually care, but the harsh truth is that a flood of lovely pictures of couples smiling and sharing cotton candy is not good for your psyche.
Therefore, it helps to shut down your social media — at least for the time being.
Think of it this way too — you’re not getting too much out of scrolling through Facebook and Twitter anyway, so why not use that precious time doing something that makes you feel good?
Grab a romance novel and cuddle your blankets, take a long bubble bath, or start that workout regimen you swore you’d stick to on January 1st. According to a study from 2015, the average American wastes approximately 40 minutes on Facebook every day (not to mention other social networks).
Imagine how much you could achieve in that time, over the course of two weeks!
Don’t get me wrong, Facebook and the likes are perfectly fine most of the time — but on a day they’re likely to make you feel miserable, why waste your time?
Let’s Reconnect to Our Friends and Family
... in real life.
Now that you’ve turned off your social media updates, you can actually meet with the people you truly like. That co-worker you get along with? That old friend from college you haven’t seen since graduation? Your grandmother?
These are people you would want to spend time with. They can make life feel so much fuller and more satisfying!
Who knows? Maybe you’ll find out that your grandma’s stories aren’t that awful. Maybe you’ll realize that you still get along with an old friend. You’ll never know if you don’t try — the worst that could happen is spending an hour with someone you don’t want to repeat the experience with.
Even so, it will be worth it . Not only will you start feeling closer to people you used to spend time with, but your career can benefit from this too. This is not to say that you should take advantage of your old friends, but listening to their perspective can give you great insight.
So, grab your phone, dial their number and drop them a “Hi!” Rekindling old relationships may feel awkward at first, and may not even lead to a great friendship, but you can at least make the effort.
Having friends and family around can do wonders for your well-being — especially when everyone’s wrapped around the whole Valentine’s Day craze.
Let’s Dance Our Hearts Out
... just because.
It doesn’t matter if it’s whilst hanging out with the girls, or if you just put on your favorite PJs and dance to Queen Bey. Dance around like you’ve just received the best news ever. Sweat it off and allow the music to take over your body.
Aside from this being a great exercise — which of course comes with many benefits — it can also make you feel good about your own body and who you are. Furthermore, dancing has been shown to reduce anxiety, and can even alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder.
This is not just fooling around. This is pure therapy — for the body and for the soul!
Put on some funky high heels and the most comfortable pants you have, and dance your way through the day. At the very least, it will put a smile on your face!
Let’s Pamper Ourselves
... and feel absolutely no guilt at all.
Life’s too short not to allow yourself some extra chocolate chips in your pancakes. And it’s also too short not to buy that pair of expensive shoes you’ve been staring at for months.
Money comes and goes, people come and go — and even passions come and go. But the sweet moments when you treat yourself to something you really love will stay forever. So click on that “buy” button, cuddle under your blankets with that Ravenous Romance novel, order that pizza, and binge-watch a series of Friends.
This is a day to love yourself and your life, with everything in it.
Let’s Share Some Good Thoughts
... because you don’t have to be in a relationship to show someone you care and to tell them how amazing they are. In fact, you can share some love with someone you don’t even know (and no, I am not talking random hookups).
Just write your nicest thoughts on a piece of paper and send it to a random person — or, if this seems too awkward to you, give it to a friend or relative. Making others happy is always a good way to make yourself feel great as well!
In the end, let’s take Valentine’s Day as it is — just another day in the calendar. Being single is not even by far the worst thing on Earth. In fact, it can come with its own series of benefits.
What am I going to do this Valentine’s Day? I’m going to have fun. Because it’s going to fall on a Sunday and I want to recharge my batteries for the new week. I’m going to spend time with people I love (and my cat) and I’m going to be happy.
Because I don’t care about putting a ring on it. I care about being happy with my life, regardless of who I turn (or don’t turn) out to be with.
Edited by Jody Smith