As someone who has spent a majority of their Valentine’s Days single, I’ve always valued celebrating the day despite whether I was in a romantic relationship or not. In fact, I’ve always enjoyed the holiday a lot more when I was celebrating it on my own because no one else was responsible for my feelings that day- and I knew I could depend on myself to make it special.
When I think back to my favorite Valentine’s Day, it isn’t the one where my high school ex-boyfriend and I got into an immature fight that ended in tears, or the one where my college ex-boyfriend couldn’t be bothered to do anything special. The best Valentine’s Day I ever had was the one when I was single and spent the day doing fun, self-care activities alone.Â
Sure, the whole concept of Valentine’s Day surrounds romance, but I have always thought of the day as so much more. I think that Valentine’s Day is a day for showing yourself love and taking the time to truly appreciate yourself as a person. For a lot of college students, Valentine’s Day falls during a difficult time of the year with winter break just ending and with long, cold months ahead. That is why I think that using Valentine’s Day as a day to focus on your own mental health and celebrate self-love is the best way to go.
Here are some of the things I’ve done on past Valentine’s Days to celebrate and appreciate myself.
Treating YourselfÂ
Since you don’t have to deal with purchasing gifts for a significant other, you can spend that money on yourself! On my favorite Valentine’s Day, I put a little bit of money to the side to buy some things that I needed- and some that I just wanted. All the things I bought, however, were things that I could use to better myself. I bought some new haircare and skincare products that I heard about and wanted to try out later that night. I also bought myself a new cozy outfit that I felt good in. Treat yourself!
Deleting Social MediaÂ
Sure, it can be cute to see all the posts on Instagram of happy couples, but it can also leave feelings of loneliness depending on where you are at in your journey with self-love. What has worked best for me was to simply just delete or avoid going on these apps for the day. Comparison can be a thief of joy, and everyone is at different points in their life. Spending the day sulking and feeling lonely will only make it harder. If you think that you would better enjoy the day by avoiding these posts, there’s no shame in deleting some apps or logging out of them.Â
Making The Day SpecialÂ
Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to feel like a boring day if you are single. There are plenty of ways you can make the day more special than a regular day. One thing that I have loved to do was go on a solo drive to my favorite food spot and order it to go. I didn’t want to sit by myself alone, but I also didn’t want to stop myself from enjoying a good meal either. After driving to my favorite spot and getting my favorite meal, I brought it home and got in my cozy new clothes to binge watch my favorite TV shows.
If you are someone who wants to do something bigger and have the ability to, taking a day trip to a cute town or somewhere outside with pretty scenery are also good ideas. This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday, allowing for so many more options without having to stress about having classes the next day.Â
Just Because You are Single Doesn’t Mean You Have To Spend the Day AloneÂ
Finally, if spending the day alone doesn’t sound like something you could enjoy, you can try and make plans with other friends who don’t have any big plans for the day either. In the past, I’ve had a blast spending time with friends on the day of love. Almost anything that you could do with a significant other, you can do with your friends as well. No one is stopping you from dressing up cute and getting a fancy dinner, or staying in and binge watching movies together. Valentine’s Day can incorporate platonic love too.Â
Maybe in the past you have always viewed Valentine’s Day as a day of love only for romantic relationships, when in reality it can mean so much more. Don’t harp on a desire for a significant other this this Valentine’s Day. Prioritize the person who should be most important: you.Â