That time of year again

We all know that Valentine’s Day is a contrived holiday that was invented by the greeting card industry. Hallmark first offered greeting cards in 1913 and began producing them in 1916. February has long been associated with romance.

Some people find themselves feeling lonelier than usual on this day. A lot of the times due to seeing other people, friends, family, and even co-workers receiving valentine’s gifts. Just because you’re single, especially if you’re newly single, you might not want to be excluded. There are several things that you can do to help keep you from feeling alone.

Here are a few ideas that can make your Valentine’s Day eventful, fun and worthwhile.

1. Get pampered. Make an appointment to get a facial, a manicure, pedicure, or a massage. Something that makes you feel good and is also relaxing. Treat yourself!
2. We all have those outfits that can even stop ourselves to look at our own reflection. Dress to be a show stopper!
3. Host a game night with your single friends. Ask everyone to bring a small Valentine gag gift and do a gift exchange. Make light of the fact that you’re not spending the evening in a romantic way.
4. Step out of your comfort zone and do something that you have never done before. Sign up for a cooking class or go to one of the numerous paint studios in town with a girlfriend and sip on some wine while you create a masterpiece, or perhaps check out a dance lesson class.
5. Excercise! Like being in love, exercise releases dopamine, norepinephrine, and endorphins. Exercise releases more chemicals into the brain that are a powerful mood and mind boosting substance like serotonin. It’s a natural mood enhancer.
6. Celebrate what you have learned from your past relationships and take a moment to envision where you would like to be and the steps that you need to take to get there.
7. Head out on the town. After you have yourself all dolled up and looking good. You and some friends can go out and have some laughs. Stay away from places that would normally have couples enjoying a romantic dinner. Find a karaoke bar, play pool, darts anything that would not normally attract all those love birds snuggling and holding hands.
8. Binge on Netflix. Do not allow yourself to watch sappy romantic movies while wallowing over a pint on Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Watch a suspense or action movie with a big bowl of popcorn and appreciate that you don’t have to argue over the remote with anyone.
9. Pay it forward. Volunteer at a nursing home and visit someone that doesn’t get many visitors. Reach out to someone that you know is a widow or widower, especially if it is recent. Holidays of any kind is very difficult for them.

Valentine’s Day does not need to be depressing and if you’re not spending it in a romantic way or have a special someone, that doesn’t define who you are or mean that you are hopeless, it simply means that your king or queen hasn’t walked into your life yet. Have fun and I would love to hear what you did on this day to make it special for you!