It’s Okay to be Single on Valentine’s Day

Ah, February. The days are crisp and cool, flowers are just starting to bloom, and classes have finally started back up again. The air is filled with love… and you’re choking on it. If you’re like me, you’ll be spending this Valentine’s Day predictably single. Instead of wallowing in your utter loneliness, this is your opportunity to spoil yourself with affection. In my opinion, Valentine’s Day is actually better when you’re single, and here’s why:

There is absolutely no pressure

You don’t need to worry about how your hair and makeup look, which saves you about two hours’ worth of primping that could be spent on binge-watching The Bachelor. Your mind won’t be filled with worrying about the patch of hair you missed on your knee when you shaved your legs this morning. Better yet, there’s no need for you to shave your legs, or anything else for that matter! It’s cold and you’ll be wearing sweatpants anyway, so what’s the point?

‘Awkward’ is not a part of your vocabulary today

You don’t have to shop for a gift that your significant other will pretend to like, and you don’t have to pretend to like whatever heart-emblazoned stuffed animal you receive. The sometimes mortifying conversation of taking things “to the next level” won’t happen tonight! Best of all, you don’t have to fake a smile when he say’s something lame like, “Something beautiful for my something beautiful.”

It’s the perfect time to treat yo self

Since the plethora of gifts you bought to spoil your date don’t actually exist, you’re really saving money this holiday season. However, since you have all this extra cash laying around, you should definitely indulge in some personal treats. Buy yourself some sexy lingerie and parade around your house like the goddess of a Victoria’s Secret Angel you truly are. Spend the evening spooning your two favorite guys (Ben & Jerry) out of their container while you watch heartwarming chick flicks. The Titanic, The Notebook, Sleepless in Seattle, The Proposal, and every other film that makes you think #relationshipgoals. Fill your bathtub with flower petals and a bath bomb, put on Halsey and The Weekend, light some candles, and spend some time indulging in gourmet chocolate and drinking wine in the comfort of your expertly contrived romantic getaway. Just because there isn’t someone in love with you today, it doesn’t mean that you’re incapable of being loved. Love yourself first, babe.

Did someone say GAL-entine’s Day?

Who said Valentine’s Day is only for people in relationships? What better way to celebrate being single than by getting together with the rest of your relationship-less besties? Dress up and go out, or dress down and stay in. Or, you can all go online to shredyourex.hooters.com to shred, burn, or bury a photo of your Ex, and receive a coupon for 10 boneless chicken wings on Valentine’s Day. Destruction, free food, and friendship? Count me in!

Yeah, I know Valentine’s Day is a commercialized holiday designed to boost the economy under the guise of romance, when in reality we should love our significant others every day, but don’t let the season of love make you bitter. Someone actually believed that there should be a day to celebrate love, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. Interlaced fingers, blushing cheeks, and excessive forms of PDA, well that’s Valentine’s Day for you. And if you’re single, who cares? You don’t need to search for a soulmate, just start searching for your soul, mate.

• happiness
• love
• single
• valentines day