Skip to content

Top Navigation

InStyle InStyle
  • News
    • All Fashion
    • Clothing
    • Accessories
    • Street Style
    • Look of the Day
    • Fashion Week
    • Future Of Fashion
    • All Celebrity
    • Awards and Events
    • Celebrity Transformations
    • All Beauty
    • Makeup
    • Best Beauty Buys
    • Health & Fitness
    • Skincare
    • All Hair
    • Celeb Hairstyles
    • Color Ideas
    • Long Hairstyles
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Short Hairstyles
    • All Natural
    • All Lifestyle
    • Astrology
    • Travel
    • Weddings
    • Books
    • Food and Drink
    • Home and Decorating
    • Well Well Well
    • All Politics & Social Issues
    • Joe Biden
    • Jill Biden
    • Kamala Harris
    • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
    • Career
  • Pop Culture and Entertainment
  • About InStyle

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Pin FB

Explore InStyle

InStyle InStyle
  • Explore

    Explore

    • If the Coastal Grandmother Trend Isn't for You, How About Its Alternative, Fancy Grandma?

      If the Coastal Grandmother Trend Isn't for You, How About Its Alternative, Fancy Grandma?

      It's just as comfy but a tad more exciting. Read More
    • It Seems Like Everyone Has False Lashes These Days — Here's Why

      It Seems Like Everyone Has False Lashes These Days — Here's Why

      There's a reason why they're trending. Read More
    • 8 Ways to Wear a Sheer Lace Dress, According to Stylists

      8 Ways to Wear a Sheer Lace Dress, According to Stylists

      The pros are weighing in on this trick, celeb-loved trend. Read More
  • News
  • Fashion

    Fashion

    See All Fashion
    This Easy Guide Is the Trick to Finding Your Signature Fashion Color

    This Easy Guide Is the Trick to Finding Your Signature Fashion Color

    It's all about your skin's undertones.
    • Clothing
    • Accessories
    • Street Style
    • Look of the Day
    • Fashion Week
    • Future Of Fashion
  • Celebrity

    Celebrity

    See All Celebrity
    The Best Beauty Looks From The 2022 Met Gala Scream Gilded Age

    The Best Beauty Looks From The 2022 Met Gala Scream Gilded Age

    Big hair, tiaras, and gold lids — oh my!
    • Awards and Events
    • Celebrity Transformations
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See All Beauty
    The Dos and Don'ts of Mixing Skincare Ingredients

    The Dos and Don'ts of Mixing Skincare Ingredients

    Plus, when and how to use them.
    • Makeup
    • Best Beauty Buys
    • Health & Fitness
    • Skincare
  • Hair

    Hair

    See All Hair
    How to Get the Wet Look Without Making Your Hair Feel Crunchy

    How to Get the Wet Look Without Making Your Hair Feel Crunchy

    It's really quite simple.
    • Celeb Hairstyles
    • Color Ideas
    • Long Hairstyles
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Short Hairstyles
    • All Natural
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    See All Lifestyle
    The One Nail Polish Color Your Zodiac Sign Should Wear for Taurus Season — and Why

    The One Nail Polish Color Your Zodiac Sign Should Wear for Taurus Season — and Why

    Leos should wear glitter, of course.
    • Astrology
    • Travel
    • Weddings
    • Books
    • Food and Drink
    • Home and Decorating
    • Well Well Well
  • Politics & Social Issues

    Politics & Social Issues

    See All Politics & Social Issues
    50 Badass Change Makers

    50 Badass Change Makers

    The world may feel heavy at the start of 2022, but this list of change makers has us optimistic for brighter days to come.
    • Joe Biden
    • Jill Biden
    • Kamala Harris
    • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
    • Career
  • Pop Culture and Entertainment
  • About InStyle

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Shopping
  3. Why Valentine's Day Is an Even Better Holiday When You're Single

Why Valentine's Day Is an Even Better Holiday When You're Single

By Tessa Trudeau Updated Feb 09, 2018 @ 2:15 pm
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Single Valentine's Day
Credit: 2018 Ellie Baygulov/Stocksy

If you think Valentine's Day is reserved for those struck by cupid's arrow, think again. Yes, V-Day is about love. But who better to shower with love, spoil rotten, and, yes, shop for than yourself? Couples nationwide are frantically ordering next-day delivery gifts on Amazon Prime, praying they achieve the perfect combination of wow factor and relationship-stage-appropriate affection; meanwhile, you know exactly what you want, no mind-reading necessary.

So to all those flying solo, we say: Instead of ignoring the holiday, embrace it! In her recent essay for InStyle, 2 Dope Queens' Phoebe Robinson perfectly captured the mood of spending V-Day alone: "This is the perfect time to get used to not being someone's partner."

But if you're not about me time, there's another (boozier) alternative: Turn Valentine's Day into Galentine's Day, says Robinson. "Lean on—and reconnect with—your friends. We all spend so much time texting our besties during a work meeting or while we're in the middle of watching Master Chef, but how often do we sit down and really focus on them for a few hours? Last year on Valentine's Day, my friend and I got dressed up, went to a screening of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot, and then had some drinks and got mac 'n' cheese for dinner. You can't be mad on a day like that—it was super fun. So whatever will put you in good spirits that's legal and isn't going to hurt anyone? Go for it."

[tiImage img-pos="1" image_style="684xflex" align="left"]

Need a game plan? "Think about the things that light you up, don't feel like work, and come naturally to you. Think about the activities you enjoyed as a child or the types of ideas that flow easily to your mind," suggests Lisa Lentino, clinical psychologist and author of Constructive Thinking: How to Grow Beyond your Mind ($13, amazon.com). Everyone needs a day to rediscover what they actually like to do on their own, and Feb. 14 is the perfect time for that kind of positive introspection.

Scroll down for more ways to have the best Valentine's Day ever, Valentine not included.

VIDEO: The Best Galentine's Day Dates to Celebrate Your Girls

Start Slideshow

1 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

TREAT YO'SELF

TREAT YO'SELF
Credit: PeopleImages/Getty Images

Honestly, every day is the perfect day to indulge in your favorite form of pampering. Get a mani/pedi or a massage (or, you know, both). Chill out in a meditation class or go full fad and get your mermaid on in a salt water float pod. 

Relaxation is best done solo, so relish in the fact that your time is all your own. 

1 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

BE LAZY AF 

BE LAZY AF 
Credit: franckreporter/Getty Images

It may not sound like much of a celebration, but doing nothing can be the greatest celebration of all. Get in your comfiest, ugliest sweats, put your hair up in a messy bun, and indulge in the greatest things single life has to offer ... which are many: starfish the bed, blast your favorite music, embrace the groutfit, shop, hit your favorite coffee shop and flirt with the barista, order sushi for three, eat it for one, and smile when there's no one even a little bit judging you. Most importantly, take in the luxury of true, independent, do-whatever-you-want-without-consulting-someone-else's-schedule unattachment. 

2 of 7

3 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

TALK TO A WISE WOMAN

TALK TO A WISE WOMAN
Credit: Eva-Katalin/Getty Images

There's no better way to learn about love than to talk to the wise, older woman in your life who's been through more than you know ... and may be willing to share some of her secret wisdom. Connect with your mom, aunt, older friend, boss, or grandmother and listen to their stories about love, heartbreak, friendship, and independence. Or, you know, just share a bottle of wine. 

3 of 7

Advertisement

4 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

TRADE VALS FOR GALS

TRADE VALS FOR GALS
Credit: NBC

Speaking of wisdom, "Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with," Sex and the City taught us. What better way to spend a single V-Day than with your fellow unattached girlfriends? Whether you take a trip, go out for cocktails, or have a good old-fashioned sleepover, take a cue from Robinson and let couples everywhere remind you that it's important to take time for the people you love—and not just romantically. 

4 of 7

5 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

GO TO A BAR ALONE

GO TO A BAR ALONE
Credit: Jimin Shi-Longo / EyeEm/Getty Images

Going to a bar solo is one of the most empowering things you can do. Drink, read, twiddle your thumbs, watch a game on the screen. And we're not trashing the swipe—which can also be a mindless, fun way to flirt on V-Day—but should you be in the mood to meet someone, the other cute bar patrons attending on their own on Feb 14? Yeah, they're probably single and looking for to get their flirt on too. Be bold!

5 of 7

6 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

BABYSIT FOR A FRIEND

BABYSIT FOR A FRIEND
Credit: skynesher/Getty Images

If you're feeling selfless, why not babysit for your lovebird friends who haven't had a proper date night since baby number two arrived? It's just about the nicest thing you can do for a friend—a true Valentine's Day gift—and buys you more good will than you can imagine. 

6 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

WRITE A LOVE LETTER ... TO A FRIEND 

WRITE A LOVE LETTER ... TO A FRIEND 
Credit: Jacob Ammentorp Lund/Getty Images

Or to yourself. This is not a joke. OK, you don't have to draw hearts and address it to "Dear Me," but those who journal know that it's easy to focus on the negatives when you're venting on paper. Take a moment to reflect on all the things you love about your life and yourself and actually put them down. Or organize a card swap with girlfriends, single or not, in which you each write one friend a card about what makes her so damn great.

7 of 7

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Tessa Trudeau

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 7 TREAT YO'SELF
    2 of 7 BE LAZY AF 
    3 of 7 TALK TO A WISE WOMAN
    4 of 7 TRADE VALS FOR GALS
    5 of 7 GO TO A BAR ALONE
    6 of 7 BABYSIT FOR A FRIEND
    7 of 7 WRITE A LOVE LETTER ... TO A FRIEND 

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    InStyle

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Accolades Licensing
    • Content Licensing

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithInStyle is part of the Meredith Beauty Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. InStyle may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright InStyle. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.instyle.com

    View image

    Why Valentine's Day Is an Even Better Holiday When You're Single
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.