Does the thought of the 14^th day of February leave a bad taste in your mouth? Does seeing the themed deco up on the windows of stores and the red and pink themed displays make you cringe and mutter dark dark words? Do you feel the need to give social media a break for a day or two so as to avoid seeing all the mushy posts of coupled up people? Are you plotting to skip work so you don’t have to endure the double jeopardy of seeing the surprise deliveries made for your colleagues, and the persistent questions of what your Valentine’s Day plans are? Basically, are you the “S” word that must not be named?

Well, I must say, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being single on Valentine’s Day. Yes, it’s nice to have someone you can show extra love to, but who said anything about it being restricted to just a significant other? I must say that I’ve had a number of both active and passive Valentine’s Day, either as a single lady and as a girlfriend of a lucky man. Having been on both sides of the fence, I can assure you that either of them can be very nice, depending on your outlook and your mindset. This mindset isn’t static, it can alter from year to year, and that is absolutely fine. As a single lady, there have been years that Valentine’s Day has been as passive as any other day for me because I really lacked the energy to do anything. On years like that,  I feel quite indifferent about the day. But there have been other years in which, as a single lady, I had really wanted to mark the day in my own way.

How you ask? Well here are a few ideas on how to mark Valentine’s Day as a single person.

1. Go Out With A Friend

This is definitely another great idea at the top of my list. If you don’t want to spend Valentine’s Day by yourself, why not spend it with a friend? I remember that back when I was a teenager, my friend and I had this ritual of restaurant hopping on Valentine’s Day right after school. We would go to all our favorite restaurants and eat one of our favorite things from each. Of course at the end of the day’s terrible act of gluttony, our metabolism was faster so we barely retained the calories. However it’s quite a fun way to spend Valentine’s Day, though now as an adult, I’d definitely stick ti just one restaurant or bar.

2. Show Love To The Needy

Like the saying goes, there’s no better way to feel love than to give love. There are always going to be people living on the streets of routes we pass often. We may even be able to recognize some of them. Why not use this Valentine’s Day to show them love by striking up a conversation, listening to them then helping them out in our own little way. You can also spend it volunteering for a day at a Shelter, or a cafeteria for homeless people if there’s any around you. Or better still, go show love to the children at Orphanages or grandparents abandoned in Old People’s Homes. You’d be surprised at how much love will fill your heart.

3. Gift Your Loved Ones

It is far more blessed to give than to receive. If you are looking for a “feel good” way to mark your Valentine’s Day, why not spoil those that have always showered you with love? Start with your parents, your siblings and your best friend.

4. Give Yourself A Spa Treat

This right here is always a winner. The best thing about it is that you can tailor it to fit your budget. It doesn’t have to be a full on spa treatment. You could even just go get a pedicure or a facials, really. Anything that will help you relax. Even better, you can drag a friend along.

5. Dress Up And Take Yourself Out

A few days ago, on our girl’s group chat, one of my girlfriends said she was tired of sitting around on Valentine’s Day and waiting for a man to take her to the nice type of places she’d like to go. So she was going to dress up and take herself out to one of those nice places. Of course the rest of us cheered her on. I don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to do this, because it’s one of my personal time rituals. But why not do said ritual on Valentine’s Day too?! Don’t let what people will think deter you, pull together your confidence and go have fun!

6. Stay In

This is a nice and intimate way to spend Valentine’s Day by yourself. You can choose to make it all comfortable and cozy with a nice tv show and some take-out dinner from your favorite restaurant; or you can chose to go all out and cook yourself a fancy dinner. To be honest, there are so many great stay-in ideas. Like a nice warm bath and some music and wine; some meditation and good reflection, a great book while stuffing your face with pastries, the list goes on and on.

7. Cook Up A Storm And Invite Fellow Single People

If like me, you enjoy cooking, and you have the time to, another way to spend Valentine’s Day in the company of other people is to cook up a little food party. If your close friends all stay in the same city, and they happen to be single (or in long distance relationships), you all can spend the evening bonding over lots of food and wine. Another thing to do would be to make it a potluck, each person brings a dish and drink. That saves you a lot more time and money, while ensuring a fun filled day.

8. Give Yourself A Weekend Getaway

No matter what day of the week Valentine’s Day falls into, you can postpone your celebrations to the weekend. If you’ve had a long week or couple of weeks, and you just need to relax and rest, you can take Valentine’s Day weekend off to take off to somewhere nice. You don’t even need to leave town, you can even just check into a nice resort hotel. Another great way to have this getaway is to go on a nice weekend Retreat or other very Recollective weekend activity which you can spend in the company of God, getting to know Him better. I highly recommend it.