“I hate Valentine’s Day!” is often heard by many girls during the time of late January until that infamous February day. It should come as no surprise to know that most of the girls who are saying this are, in fact, single. Single girls around the world are often known for their bitter attitudes and pity cries towards this day of love. The stereotype of a single female on Valentine’s Day is the image of the girl sitting alone in her room, eating an unnecessary amount of chocolate, and crying while watching tearjerker romance movies. But let’s be honest girls, although some of you may despise the thought of Valentine’s Day and everything that it stands for, nobody wants to be the stereotypical “single girl”. Nobody wants to be trapped in their dorm room with only the face of Channing Tatum to console them (no matter how tempting that may be). In one of the most beautiful cities in the world, why don’t we all just take a step back, put down the box of tissues, turn off Dear John, and try to have fun, boyfriend or no boyfriend. Think it’s impossible? Trust me, it’s not.
#1: Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself
Before you can start doing anything of amusement on your “Single Valentine’s Day”, you really need to give your pity party a rain check. Think about it; you’re young, you’re in college, you’re in a wonderful city with nothing but your options ahead of you. Why not make the best of it? Though it might seem difficult at first to stop your lonesome woes, it’s really not difficult at all. Tell yourself this: you don’t need a boyfriend. Do you need me to say it to you again? Here it is: You don’t need a boyfriend! You don’t. It’s not the time for you to be crying about not being in a relationship. It’s not even a quarter till the time for you to be crying about not being in a relationship. The girls from Sex and the City went on date after date throughout their six season duration, and still none of them found true happiness until they were in their late 30s to mid 40s. Having a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day won’t necessarily make it the best day of your life. Of course, every single person (male or female) does have at least an inkling of a wish that they had a significant other to share the day with, but if you don’t, there’s no use fretting over it. Unless you’re a fifty-seven, unmarried spinster with ten cats, there’s no sense in worrying about when you’re going to have a true Valentine. Good things take time.
#2: Make Plans with Friends
A mistake that a lot of girls make is thinking that they are the only person in their friendship circle without a Valentine. Sometimes that isn’t even the case, but they’ll still feel like that because their friends have had more boyfriends than them. If this sounds like you, than listen up. You have single friends that are just like you. If you’re crying in your room, and they’re crying in their rooms, what’s the point? You might as well get together. I don’t mean whine on each other’s shoulders, I mean go out. Have fun. Go to some Valentine’s Day themed club event and dress up in red and pink. Treat yourselves to a nice dinner and flirt with the waiter. Make the most of your night. Even if you do not want to go out because you think it will be too hectic at night, make smaller plans. Something that’s very true when it comes to single girls on Valentine’s Day is that sometimes, it’s not even about having a boyfriend. Sometimes, we just want to feel loved, and appreciated by another person. Give each other cute little teddy bears or Valentine’s Day grams complete with candy and a nice card. It doesn’t have to be anything mushy, just something that tells the other person that you are grateful to have them in your life, and vice versa. Friends get you through a lot, so let them get you through Valentine’s Day with some fun and flair. It might be the best, stress-free Valentine’s Day you ever have.
#3: Have a “Mock” Valentine
For girls who have really close guy friends, this step is for you. Sometimes, a girl just wants that sense of male companionship on Valentine’s Day, and you know what, that’s understandable. So why not have a “mock” valentine? What’s that? A mock valentine is when one of your best guy friend’s is your “sweetheart” for Valentine’s Day. Now, I know what some of you may be thinking: I don’t want to go on a date with my friend, he’s like my brother! I don’t even like him like that! You don’t have to be romantically attracted to him, and he doesn’t have to be romantically attracted to you. It’ll be two good friends having a very nice time together…going out to dinner, going to the movies, or even just wandering around the city leisurely. And because of the fact that you’re already friends, you don’t have to try to impress the person. It will be a total stress-free Valentine’s Day. You don’t have to worry about whether or not he’s interested in you in a serious manner. You don’t have to get all dolled up to go on a date, and the conversation is guaranteed to be good since you already know one another so well. It’s the perfect plan. Who knows, you might actually find out that you and that person could be more than friends. Hey, it’s a possibility.
#4: Shop
If there’s one thing that rids the mind of any sorrows, it’s buying new clothes. This should be used as a last resort on Valentine’s Day (for financial reasons). Although some may disagree, shopping is a very nice way to clear your head, and it really allows you to focus more on yourself than focus on what others are doing. Instead of worrying about a man, try on that pair of Steve Madden shoes you’ve been dying to buy. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, feel the soft material on a new sweater. Cater to yourself. Treasure yourself. Walking around Union Square with the refreshing essence of city nightlife is such a relaxing experience for the mind, body, and soul. Don’t fret if you run into any couples. This isn’t about another person. This outing is totally about you.
For all the “single ladies” out there, I hope this has helped to transform your Valentine’s Day from one of bitterness, to one of fun, exploration, and new horizons. And remember, it’s only for one day. The next day, those same couples who were being all lovey-dovey are probably going to end up fighting about something stupid, like a Playstation 3. Those Godiva chocolates that were so exclusively expensive are going to be half off. All the cake is going to be eaten. All the balloons are going to pop. All the roses are going to wilt. All the gifts are going to be unwrapped. Even if that show-off in your public speaking class is constantly talking about what her boyfriend did for her, the story will be old news in a couple of days (maybe even hours). In other words, life goes on. Why waste away a day, no matter what the day represents? As I said before, you’re young. So the ten cats are going to have to wait. It’s time to break away from the “single girl” stereotype.