Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Illinois | Culture

Valentines Day With Me, Myself and I

Dolunay Keskes Student Contributor, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I may not have a valentine this year, but honestly, who needs em?

Every February 14th, the world seems to speak in couples, but there is an underrated, deeply satisfying alternative: spending Valentine’s Day with you. No reason to be down during this season of love. There are so many more things to focus on, and finding a valentine is at the bottom of the list. Making February the season of growth, new beginnings, and self-love is much more meaningful! Here’s why:

legally blonde icky valentines day?width=1024&height=1024&fit=cover&auto=webp&dpr=4
MGM

You set the agenda… completely

When you’re your own Valentine, there are no compromises to negotiate. You want sushi instead of steak? Done. A movie marathon instead of a fancy dinner? Perfect. Bed by 9 p.m. with a book and herbal tea? Deal.

There’s something liberating about designing a day that reflects exactly what you enjoy. No guessing what someone else wants, no social scripts to follow; just choices guided by your own mood and energy.

Zero pressure

Couple-centric holidays can come with expectations: the “right” gift, the “right” plan, the perfect Instagram-worthy moment. Spending it solo removes that entire layer of stress.

There’s no performance involved. No worrying whether the night is romantic enough or whether you chose the correct restaurant. You get to simply be.

Escape the comparison trap

Scrolling through social media on Valentine’s Day can feel like walking through a highlight reel of other people’s relationships. Spending the day focused on yourself helps break that cycle.

Instead of measuring your life against curated snapshots, you’re grounded in your own reality. That shift from outward comparison to inward contentment is one of the most freeing parts of you-time.

Spoil yourself

Solo doesn’t mean lonely and sad. Buy yourself ridiculous amounts of chocolate. Watch your favorite rom-com ironically or sincerely. Try a new recipe, start a creative project, rearrange your space or take yourself on a mini date to a café you’ve been wanting to try.

There’s so many activities you can do, and so much joy you can live in realizing you don’t need an audience to enjoy your life.

Reminder that love starts with you

Romantic relationships can be wonderful, but they shouldn’t be your only source of worth or fulfillment. Spending Valentine’s Day solo can be a powerful act of self-validation. It can be used as a reminder that your happiness isn’t dependent on anyone else showing up with flowers.

Taking time to appreciate yourself and reflect on how far you’ve come shifts the focus inward in a way that’s rare in daily life. It reframes Valentine’s Day from something you wait for someone else to provide into something you actively give to yourself.

Spending Valentines Day with yourself is what you make of it, not what another person does. It can be incredibly grounding and motivating. What’s the best part is that there is no right or wrong way to do it! So buy the chocolate, light the candle, spoil yourself and have a very happy Valentines Day!

Dolunay Keskes

Illinois '29

I am a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology on a Pre-Optometry track.