This post is all about how to spend Valentine's day if you're single.
Valentine’s day is just around the corner, and is often a time of reflection. Are you in a relationship? Single? Is it complicated? I challenge you no matter what your relationship status is, to show some love to the most important relationship in your life. You!!
The longest relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself, and we want it to be a healthy one so don’t forget to give it some attention.
Valentine's Day Ideas
1. Have a Galentine’s Day party
Grab your girls! Who needs a s/o anyways?
Celebrate valentine’s day the best way with the ones you love most.
Good Housekeeping has such a cute list of ideas for your galentine's day party. From a wine swap to wreath making, you'll find plenty of fun add-ons for a memorable night with your girls!
2. Movie night
Treat yourself to a date night in! Order takeout from your favourite restaurant, light some candles, and pick a movie(s) and have a cozy night in!
DigitalTrends has a great list of movies to watch no matter which streaming service you subscribe to.
3. Deluxe bath
Calling all bath lovers! Life can get busy, and maybe you haven’t had time to take a bath with all the bells and whistles.
Grab your book and enjoy!
DON'T FORGET
- A bathtub tray caddy is a must for a relaxing bath. It's a surface to put a candle, your book, and your drink (all the necessities!)
- Speaking of candles, this one from Jo Malone smells amazing, and is stable in it's glass container for the bath.
- Of course you need to have a bathbomb. This one from LUSH is super cute, but if you want something even more on theme, they released an entire Valentine's day line!
- Some soothing music is a great addition to any evening, and the wonderboom speaker is waterproof so you won't have to worry about it getting wet.
(1) Bathtub tray caddy
(2) Jo Malone Candle
(3) LUSH Diamond Dust Bathbomb
(4) UE Wonderboom Speaker
4. New recipe
Not interested in ordering takeout? Make a new recipe!
Indulge yourself and go all out. Making pasta? Try making it from scratch!
Another fun idea is to pick an ingredient in your cupboard that you haven’t used yet, and build a recipe around that. The website Yummly is great for inputting ingredients you have to give you recipes you can make with it.
5. Act of kindness
Doing things for others can make us feel even better than doing something for ourselves. This valentine’s day, spread the love in the form of little goodie bags!
You can make so many with a single batch, and gift them to anyone from your neighbours, the unhoused, your coworkers, or family and friends.
(1) Valentine's day treat bags
(2) Gift tags
(3) Ribbon
(4) Sally's Baking Addiction Recipe
6. Spa day
If you’re in a position to, treat yourself to a spa day! (again dependent on restrictions)
It doesn’t have to be anything super fancy - it can even be a low-key night in, where you do your full skin routine (alllll the steps).
You’ll be glowing from the outside-in by the time you finish!
7. Get your nails done
For a different kind of spa day - get your nails done! Having your nails done can make you feel like a whole new person, and what better day to feel great than Valentine’s day?
Don’t want to go to a spa? Do your nails at home! I have been using my Sally Hansen Gel Nail Kit for years and my nails stay perfect without any chips for 2-3 weeks.
The best part is that once you’ve bought the kit, you can get your nails done for free!
8. Gratitude meditation
It’s become well known that those who practice gratitude regularly are happier.
This gratitude meditation from Headspace is a great length to introduce yourself to it. Who knows? Maybe you'll start to incorporate it into your daily routine!
9. Journaling
If meditating isn’t your thing, journaling is another great way to reflect and document your feelings, goals, and plans.
The Five Minute Journal has been all over instagram for a while now, with influencers incorporating it into their morning routine.
The journal is broken down into both morning and evening sections for you to fill out, and a quote for each day.
Morning questions:
- What are you grateful for?
- What would make today great?
- Daily affirmations
Evening questions:
- 3 amazing things that happened today
- How could i have made today better
Note: the price is very high on amazon (not sure why), but check bookstores for a better price. If you’re in Canada, Indigo sells it for almost half that!
10. Book an appointment with your therapist
Nothing shows more self love than investing in yourself and your well being. I’m a firm believer that everyone should see a therapist - struggling or not.
Valentine’s day in particular can be tough for some people, but putting time into helping yourself heal and work through anything going on in your life is important!
11. Write a letter to your future self
FutureMe is a great website that lets you send an email to yourself at a later date of your choice.
I’ve done it a couple of times over the years, and am always surprised when the email arrives a few years later. It’s fun to include any struggles you're going through and thoughts you have about your future etc.
When you receive the email later, you get a glimpse what your life was when you wrote it, and see whether your predictions come true!
12. Paint by numbers
If you don’t know what Paint By Numbers is, it’s essentially a step-by-step foolproof guide to paint a beautiful picture!
It tells you what colours to put where on your canvas, so by the time you're done your panting will look just like the picture.
Crack open a bottle of wine (or any yummy non-alcoholic beverage) and have a fun arts and crafts night at home!
This kind of activity can range in prices, but Amazon has a huge selection of paintings to choose from.
13. Virtual cooking class
Depending on where you live, you might still be living in a virtual world thanks to covid. Use this to your advantage and sign up for a virtual cooking class!
If you’re from Toronto, Eataly is a great local option. Otherwise, Gordon Ramsay has a Masterclass that will walk you through the basics and make yourself a great meal! The Masterclass is longer than a one-session recipe, so make sure you keep that in mind when planning your evening.
14. Deep clean your apartment
It’s not sexy, but it (probably) needs to be done - and what’s better than having a clean place? I know after I tidy up I feel so much better mentally. I can think clearly, and am way more productive.
There’s no better act of self love than giving yourself a calming space to relax!
15. Social media purge
If your space is clean, why not tackle the internet clutter?
All the people you still follow from school who you aren't friends with (and never really were), that account you followed to be entered into a giveaway you never won, and random accounts you followed along the way are just cluttering your space online.
Take a look at your account and scroll through your list of people you follow, and any names you don't recognize - goodbye! You'll be surprised by how many accounts have made their way into your feed without you realizing.
16. Take yourself on a picnic
Who needs a relationship to go on a cute picnic!?
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in a place in the world that isn’t FReEziNg (like me) , take advantage!
No matter if you're solo or with a friend, find a park or spot with a nice view and enjoy a lovely evening filled with food and wine.
DON'T FORGET
- This picnic basket is great because its cute on the outside, but it's insulated! You won't have to worry about keeping your food hot/cold, and it's big enough to fit anything you'll need.
- Don't get caught without something to sit on! This picnic blanket is waterproof and has some extra padding in it to make sitting on the ground more comfortable. It also packs up well with a handle so you can carry it to your spot no problem.
- No matter what beverage you're bringing to your picnic, these insulated glasses are great to keep it cool and still look cute.
(1) Picnic basket
(2) Picnic blanket
(3) Insulated wine glass
17. Go to your favourite workout class
Spin? Pilates? HIIT? Yoga?
Whatever you love to do for exercise, do it!
Working out is great for an energy boost, and a rush of endorphins that make you feel happy. Exercising is the ultimate act of self-care because it keeps your mind and body both healthy!
18. Dance party
Where are my Grey’s Anatomy fans at?!? Time to dance it out.
Do the best Christina and Meredith dance party either solo or with your roommates.
You can have a dance party anytime and anywhere, so cue up your favorite playlist and get to it!
19. Take yourself to dinner
There is no move quite as bad ass and confident as taking yourself out to dinner. Dress up in an outfit you feel confident in, and take yourself on a date!
Avoid the temptation to look at your phone and scroll while you eat. I challenge you to people watch, or just ponder your thoughts while you enjoy a night out alone.
20. Block them
You know exactly who I'm talking about.
Don't you dare spend this day dreaming what could've been with someone it didn't work out with, or insta stalking their new flame.
It didn't work out for a reason, and continuing to spending energy thinking about it is doing you no favours!
Black them for you and your mental health.
21. Stop scrolling social media
It's no surprise that social media is known to be bad for your mental health, but certain days (*cough* Valentine's day), are worse than others to scroll through instagram.
Don't put yourself in a position to get sucked into the highlight reel of people online. Not everyone is as happy as they look, and it'll probably make you feel worse than if you spent your time working on something you love.
22. Make Valentine's day cards
Do you have some artistic skills? Make cards!
One year I tried my hand at calligraphy and made unique cards for a bunch of friends. I had a group to watch The Bachelor with and each one had a joke or reference to the show.
This is a super fun way to get creative, and you can work on them leading up to Valentine's day as you watch tv or listen to a podcast. Everyone appreciates being thought of!
23. Anything you love
Any activity that makes you happy is a perfect way to spend Valentine's Day!
- Play an instrument
- Exercise
- Shopping
- Phone a friend
Wrapping it up
You might be thinking that the things on the list sound like normal date ideas - and a lot of them are! Valentine's day doesn't only have to be for couples.
We glorify romantic relationships, and sometimes forget we need some attention and love from ourselves too.
When it comes down to it, showing yourself some love is as easy as doing something that you enjoy. If you can, try and incorporate a little of it into every day.
Remember, your longest relationship you’ll ever have is with yourself, so make it a good one!!
What are you doing this Valentine's day? Comment below!
This post was all about how to spend Valentine's day if you're single .
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