Happy Monday, friends! Let’s have a chat! Valentine’s Day is coming up and so often I see single friends who dread this holiday. It reminds them that they’re single and, sometimes, it makes them feel bad about themselves. I’m one of those who has always seen Valentine’s Day as a money-making holiday. What started out as a day to commemorate a martyred saint has now become all about romantic dinners, roses, chocolates, and all the couple-y things that make those who wish they were in a relationship feel just… blah. So, if you’re dreading the upcoming day of love, or if you just want to take any opportunity to live your best life as the super awesome single woman you are, here are 14 ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a single lady.
(Note – Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using one of them I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
1 // Buy yourself some flowers and chocolate.
Seriously, you don’t mean a man to buy them for you. I know women–single AND married–who buy their own flowers, and they do because they know they don’t need someone else to make that purchase for them. If they want fresh flowers, they buy themselves fresh flowers. If you want a bouquet of roses on your table, buy yourself a bouquet of roses. There is no shame in that!
2 // In fact, buy RED roses.
Why not?
3 // And pick up an extra bouquet for your friend.
I’m sure you can think of someone in your life who’s going through a rough time. And maybe she’s single too, so she doesn’t have that built-in support system that marriage is supposed to bring. Buy her a bouquet of flowers to brighten up her day and let her know she’s not alone.
4 // Take your dog for a walk.
Or find a dance or yoga class… or whatever you’d like to do to just move. Don’t look at this as a “getting my body in shape for a man” or “keeping my body in spouse-finding condition” activity. Move your body for you, because the human body was made to move and we spend so much time sitting at our desks or in the car or on the couch with our dogs. So focus on yourself and take care of yourself for the sole reason being that YOU. ARE. WORTH. IT.
[Tweet “Focus on yourself and take care of yourself for the sole reason that YOU. ARE. WORTH. IT.”]
5 // Have a dance party.
I know, I know, we just worked out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a dance party. Pull out your favorite girl power songs or find a girl power playlist on Spotify and dance your heart out!
[Tweet “Single on Valentine’s Day? Blast your fave girl power songs + have a dance party!”]
6 // Read a book.
Surprise, surprise that this is on the list, right? And don’t read a love story! Read fantasy or sci-fi or find a book with a really kick ass heroine. Two books on my TBR that could qualify are The Valiant by Lesley Livingston (female gladiators) or Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (killer unicorns). Here’s a list of hundreds of Kick Ass Female Heroines in Paranormal Fiction, as well as 22 Thrillers With Kick Ass Heroines.
7 // Watch a movie or binge-watch a TV show.
If reading isn’t your thing… why? But it doesn’t mean you can’t have a chill night at home. Find a TV show to binge-watch or a movie to watch–but stay away from rom-com’s! Unless they’re the only kind of movie you typically watch. However if you start to feel bad about your single state, STOP! Explore a new genre.
[Tweet “Single on Valentine’s Day? Treat yo’self to a book, movie, or TV show that feature kick ass female characters!”]
8 // Cuddle with your dog while you read.
Or your cat… do cats cuddle? 😉 Even if you don’t read a book, at some point you’ll probably sit down someplace where your furry BFF can join you. They love you unconditionally every day of the year, so spend some time with them.
9 // Participate in a hobby.
Draw, paint, sculpt. write… do whatever creative hobby you enjoy.
10 // Throw on a face mask while you do it.
Take time for you. Pamper yourself and do the things you love most.
11 // Go out with your girlfriends.
Who says you can’t go out just because you’re not in a relationship? Put together a group of your single girl–and even guy–friends and go out for dinner. And if you have friends whose spouses are unavailable on Valentine’s Day–deployed, work, school… so many things can pull them away these days–invite them, too!
12 // Wear your brightest, boldest lipstick when you do.
Cause you don’t have to kiss anyone and worry about it rubbing off afterward.
[Tweet “Go out for dinner with friends wearing your boldest lipstick since you don’t have to kiss anyone after! 😉”]
13 // Learn something new.
Take a class at your local community center or on Skillshare. Don’t do it because you feel you need to better yourself for a potential mate, do it because you want to learn something new just for YOU.
14 // Go to bed early.
And get some rest! If you’re like me, you regularly don’t get enough sleep and those extra hours can make you feel like a queen! Bonus points if you have your royal pup (or kitty) by your side.
[Tweet “Here are 14 ways to CELEBRATE Valentine’s Day when single!”]
What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Let me know in the comments!
I’d love to curl up on the couch with my pup and a book, but I’m taking a financial planning course on Wednesdays for a few weeks. I’m not doing this to better myself for my future husband if/when I decide to get married, but because I want to make sure I’m doing everything in my powerful to have a future of financial security because I’m worth it.
Going to bed early is definitely giving myself a gift!!! Great list! Especially including my dog <3
These are all great ideas, I love hanging out with friends on Valentine’s Day. It’s important to remember that friendships are just as important as romantic relationships.
LOVE this list!!! Going out with GF’s is always a good idea!!
Great list! I’m planning Take out – “in” – so don’t have to squeeze in with everyone else and get a rest day from
meal making – now what shall we have for dessert?? 🙂
These are all great ideas. I think it’s great to do anything that pampers yourself or a friend. My personal favourites are watching movies while crocheting, taking a hot bath, and reading a book.
These are all great ideas. I love them. I’m not single, BUT I’ll still enjoy some ME time this Vday haha. Thanks for the ideas.
These are all spot on for the single ladies and those of us who are married that need some “me” time!! Love the dance party idea!
Self love is he most important kind of love. Without it, none of the other kinds of love can exist. It is wonderful that you have put together this post for thsoe who are alone to empower themselves .
Even though I’m in a relationship, I still love to celebrate Galentine’s Day with my girls. It’s so fun to get your besties together and just celebrate your love for one another. I love so many of these ideas, and you bet if I had a dog, I would be celebrating with them.
I can confirm that cats do cuddle! These are all great ways to spend V-day on your own, and I’ll definitely be doing a few of these this year!
Yes to all of this! Cuddling with my dog is essential!
I love celebrating Valentine’s Day with others…I probably put more emphasis on making cards for my sisters and friends than I do for Angel…because I know they’ll appreciate it more than he will! 😛 It’s a great excuse to treat the people you love–since words are so important for me, I always like writing letters and sending cards for Valentine’s Day!
Though I’m not a single lady, I love all of these suggestions. I think a day dedicated to love shouldn’t have to be spent loving on someone else. All of these ideas are awesome ways to shower yourself in a little self-love!
Binge watching a tv show and cuddling my pitties sounds perfect. But, most of all, I love the idea of getting myself flowers and chocolate.
I love the idea of picking up flowers for yourself and another girl friend. I think a great way to still celebrate the season is to have a Galentine’s Day with your gal pals! Host a brunch or all go to a workout class and have FUN with your girls. 🙂
Yes to everything on this list! I always buy myself chocolate for Valentine’s Day!! Too good to pass up, ha!
xo
Sami
The Classic Brunette