Take Yourself On A Date This Valentine's Day

In grade school, Valentine’s Day was about pretty pink decorations, giving out cards and candy, coloring in hearts, and discovering secret crushes. But now that you’re a few years older, you might have realized that the kind of display of love brought upon by this day, is overtly commercialized and not for you. We can understand why this could be enough to make you sick, but rather than letting baby cupid take you down, why don’t you instead celebrate yourself. Put selfcare first and take yourself on a date this Valentine’s Day.

You may be thinking: “Okay, but what can I even do?” Romanticize your life, treat yourself to something nice, put yourself first, and most importantly, don’t worry about what others think. Yes, going out by yourself can be scary or nerve-wracking for some, but you can’t let it stop you from enjoying yourself. So here’s a list of ideas of what you can do: 

Go To A Restaurant

What’s so special about going out to eat alone? You get to focus on yourself rather than those around you. This includes eating at your own pace, spending the time as you wish to spend it, not having to share dessert, and all with great company guaranteed.  In fact, dining alone can even increase your entire sensory experience of the dinner. 

Go Out To The Movies

Movies are far less intimidating to try out alone than restaurants. You’re in a dark room, with other individuals sparsely seated around you all looking at the screen. So, head to your local theater, get your favorite snacks and maybe an ICEE, and go get comfy. It doesn’t matter the type of movie you see, as long as you’re excited to see it. 

Get Comfy

Prefer binging to movie theater-watching? No problem! Enjoy a streaming date at home. Prepare your bed or your couch with your favorite blankets, pillows, snacks, drinks, fuzzy socks and your go-to water bottle (of course). The key here is to really focus on what will make you happy. For extra comfort, look into how to make your space a bit more Hygge too. 

Buy Yourself Flowers

Like Miley Cyrus, go buy yourself some flowers. Flowers are not only beautiful, but they can have real benefits, such as increasing your mood, helping you relax, and even helping you feel better throughout the day. And they smell good too. Whether it’s roses, tulips, or dandelions you pick for yourself, just ensure it’s flowers you’ll enjoy having in your home and that will bring you joy. 

Cook For Yourself

To clarify, we’re not talking about throwing some pasta in boiling water and calling it a day. No, we mean to get into your Master Chef state of mind and try out cooking something fun! Make sure to set up a nice candlelight dinner with your finest cutlery. This dinner is about you and forming a better relationship with your food. 

Go Shopping (With a Budget) 

Take yourself out shopping this Valentine’s Day! Give yourself a budget beforehand (for safety purposes) and then go to your favorite store and indulge. If you start feeling guilty for spending money on yourself, just remind yourself that you deserve to treat yourself and lean into the process. Take your time walking around the stores, trying stuff on if applicable, and contemplating whether to make the purchase on your own terms and your own time. 

Arts and Crafts

Who doesn’t love a creativity session? Channel your inner child, get some paint, markers, crayons, etc. and have an arts and crafts day! You can get some inspiration of what to create from your favorite social media sites, or check out this fabulous article on DIY crafts! All that matters is that you have fun! Included in arts and crafts is scrapbooking. Print out some of your favorite photos (or create a digital scrapbook) and relive those memories with happiness as you figure out the best way to display them. 

Make a List of Activities You’d Like to do

Make a list of all activities you’d be interested in trying out (and yes, trying out solo). Even after Valentine’s Day, you can refer to this list. Want to make it a bit more interesting? Get out some supplies and make a unique, cute jar to keep slips of papers with your ideas written on inside. Anytime you’re interested in taking yourself on a date, you can just pull out a piece of paper! Here are some suggestions to get you started: Go to a coffee shop, take a relaxing bath, head to a bookstore, visit a museum, go on a hike, have a spa day, bake your favorite treats, try a new restaurant, learn how to (insert activity here), write a letter to yourself. 

And lastly, don’t forget to love yourself. The true key to everything here is just to love and appreciate yourself. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in the Valentine’s Day craze or worry about what others are doing or what they may think of you. The only opinion that truly matters is your own. So, go out and take yourself on a date this Valentine’s Day! 

Xoxo,

Yubo Team