It's that time of year again, Valentine's Day. For lovers, that means being swept off their feet, surprised with enchanting, thoughtful gifts, huge bunches of roses and a three course meal, smothered with kisses and feeling more blessed than ever. For singletons, like me, it usually means we're left in the lurch, feeling left out, daunted by the lovey dovey adventures and wishing you had that meaningful romance that appears everywhere you turn. However; just because you're single, doesn't mean you're alone and in no way does it mean you should tell yourself you are worthless. In fact, you are far from that; you are independent and most importantly, free to do whatever you like. Changing your mindset into a positive one rather than a negative is the centre of all spoken and with this in mind, you can spend the day treating yourself instead. Here I complied a list of what pampering options us single girls have on Valentine's Day and what I intend on conducting to make myself feel wonderful instead of feeling dull and dreary.
1) Gather all your favourite bath bombs, bath creme's, oils, scrubs and candles together and run yourself a bath, full of bubbles and welcoming relaxation. It's the perfect way to unwind, de-stress and take your mind away from what day it really is. Stay in there for as long as you like, soaking up the gorgeous scents and the heavenly feeling of fresh, nourished skin.
2) Once you and your wrinkly fingers decide to finally leave the bath, give your skin that extra glow by moisturising from head to toe. You can even go a step further and make your skin sparkle with products like the
Soap and Glory Glow Lotion. Who needs a man to show off your shine, right? Nothing says confidence more than smoothed, buttered skin with a long lasting glorified smell.
3) Moving up from the torso, brings the face indulging. Just as you thought you couldn't feel any more juvenile, you pick out your chosen face masks. Whether they are clay masks to greatly benefit the skin or just your everyday luxuriating ones, there's nothing better than smothering your face and giving it a deep cleanse. You can even give your hair some treatment by deep conditioning it and restoring its healthiness. By then, you can just about say everywhere on your body feels and looks brand new.
4) Spoil those hands and feet, and fingers and tootsies with a manicure, a pedicure and plenty of shaping and filing. Finishing off your cosseting routine, you can apply some foot cream and hand cream to add that last boost. It could even be a time for practicing your nail techniques and designs, just like I did with the floral pattern. If you are wanting to glamourize further instead of lazing around, you could conclude by sprucing up your freshly stripped face and engage in your best makeup.
5) Snuggle up nice and warm in your bedroom. Make yourself a little corner den plumped up with cushions, thick duvets and blankets. Surround the area with whatever takes your fancy. Obviously I'm a pretty lights and rose garland kind of girl so that's what I'd choose. You're never too old for a teddy to keep you company either (well what I really mean is to lay on because they're ridiculously comfy... poor ted!). Being cosied up in your own space doing what you want with nobody to bother you is uplifting; far better than walking around town in the freezing, winter winds and rain trying to find a restaurant to eat in or a bar to drink in.
6) Following on from spending the night in, this is not complete without a movie marathon, a session of book reading, drowning out the world with your music playlists, having a play around on your phone and enjoying apps like the wonderfully addictive Simpson's Tapped Out (which actually has a Valentine's Day themed event, sending valentine's cards and receiving hearts the cyber way without any effort; what could be more fun?) and then of course, there's blogging your socks off (but hopefully not the fluffy socks that make a cosy night in even more appealing). This book in particular is fantastic for boosting the mood and making you realise it's the little things in life that matter and they're what you appreciate the most. Pairing your most desired rom com with your DVD player is another moment you can't beat. Evidently, 'Valentine's Day' the film fits the bill perfectly. Drooling over Taylor Lautner, Ashton Kutcher and Bradley Cooper whilst getting plenty of laughs; I don't think anyone in their right mind would say no to that.
7) A night full of technology is not fulfilled without stuffing your face. Valentine's Day gives you the sublime opportunity to raid the shops and take advantage of the items that are supposed to be exchanged from man to woman and vice versa. In this case, boxes of chocolates, cupcakes, and a hot chocolate in a heart mug topped with marshmallows. The mega supermarket that goes by the name of Asda, equalized the single people to the taken and sold a 'single and fabulous' cupcake; I had to buy one. Thank you, Asda! Another must have are the moreish Mini Egg collections that are supposed to be for Easter, but as usual, the milestone dates start way too early. Allow yourself to eat like a pig for the day, don't be harsh on yourself and do exactly as you dream. You could even go all out and order a takeaway or bake your own treats!
8) SHOPPING. A girls best friend and on Valentine's Day, more like your soul mate. This can be done alone or in partnership with your other best friends (actual human friends this time). It can also be accomplished physically or via the online retailers. Some stores even kindly splash out discount codes on the 14th Feb. The perfect way to feel happy on Valentine's Day is to spend your spare cash on them new shoes you've had your eye on or that raved lipstick you've been lusting after.
There's not only the action packed activities you can assign to your schedule, the way you think will help take those blues away and the small moments will become the big ones.
9) Spend time with your closest friends and family. There's no finer way to feel loved than to surround yourself with people who genuinely love and care for you. You could plan a day out together, or simply invite them over/go to their house and enjoy each others company. You could even transform idea number 6 into a sleepover and take a step in the movie life of Jessica Biel and host a 'I Hate Valentine's Day' party. Now that would be brilliant!
10) Don't spend too much time on the internet... excluding shopping that is. Logging into the social network sites and seeing your mutual and their romance is quite clearly going to be off putting. Feeling like you're the only one without a date is going to put a downer on your mood so simply, just lay off the internet for the day unless it's necessary, and for blogging! it's a great idea to distract yourself with a hobby such as blogging and although some bits and bobs may appear regarding followers and their Valentine's dates, I think as you don't personally know them, it becomes much less depressing and more cute to read about. Another tip is to avoid having a good look at couples in the outdoors whilst you're walking alone and dwelling on being single. Relating back to number 9, usher the people who bring out the best in you!
11) Question how much worse off you could be and how compared to some disasters and heartbreak around the world, being on your own for one significant day is nothing compared. This is what I do to become cheery when I'm feeling down. Make a mental (or even written) list of how privileged you are; you have warmth, comfort, food, films, laughter, friends, family and actually, that's pretty damn amazing.
12) Think of it as just another day, because that's exactly what it is. It's just hyped up due to the celebration of love but that doesn't mean you can't celebrate the love you can identify for yourself. I know it's hard to ignore with it constantly being dangled in front of you and rubbed in for the 24 hour duration but so much joy can override the sadness. Even further, you could turn your nose up at the whole thing. If you tell yourself it's just a marketing scheme for shops to double their profit and over charge by silly amounts, it becomes much less important. After all, you shouldn't need a specific day to show someone how much you love them.
So that's my thoughts on the whole situation. In no way am I belittling the people who are taken and extremely happy in their relationships. That's superb, spending the day and night together and having special couple time is precious but for those who don't have that this year or for those who have never had it and often feel like they never will, this is for you! Don't allow anything to stop you from feeling idyllic and remember, to quote The Pussycat Dolls, you don't need a man to feel good!
