6 Ways to Enjoy Valentine's Day When You're Single



For some, Valentine's Day is synonymous with flowers, candy, romantic evenings, sentimental greeting cards and couples expressing love (or strong "like"!). With this holiday right around the corner, we took a moment to ask CFIR Psychotherapist, Joshua Peters, M.A., R.P, "What tips can you offer to help single people who want to enjoy the day without focusing on being uncoupled?".  Here's his response: 

Valentine’s Day can be a difficult time for those who find themselves single on a holiday that celebrates romantic relationships. However, fear not, you can still find many great ways to celebrate this holiday that don't involve finding or having a romantic partner. Here are a few tips for enjoying the day - as a single person:

  • Reach out to your other single friends to connect and enjoy these relationships. After all, creating strong social ties is one of the best ways we can maintain our happiness — and this doesn’t mean having a romantic partner. 
  • Be inventive! In recent years, many individuals have created “Anti-Valentine's Day” or "Singles Awareness Day" celebrations. It can sometimes be a fun way to shake off any Valentine's blues while also making light the holiday a bit lighter and fun. 
  • Treat yourself! Splurge on that nice bottle of wine (or non-alcoholic sparkling cider) and a great meal. You deserve it and learning to do this for yourself can help you grow as a person.
  • Self-Care Extravaganza! Start your day off right by trying one of the many mindfulness activities you can find online (there are some great options here) or try a new physical activity (go to the gym, try out that yoga class you’ve been wondering about, or go for a hike at a park you’ve never been too). 
  • Challenge yourself! Try something new to broaden your experience of Valentine’s Day - let it be the start of something new in your life.
  • Most importantly, let yourself experience whatever emotions you’re having! Try your best to label each experience (Sadness, happiness, excitement, hurt, pain, etc.) and provide yourself some time to journal at some point during the day about these experience. Your emotions are important and deserve to be explored.

If you can engage with even one of these activities you should consider it a success. Being single on Valentine's Day isn’t always easy — but that doesn’t mean you can't incorporate some fun activities.