Valentine’s Day Survival Guide For Singles
We’re here to help you learn and grow, so naturally, we share affiliate links for products that we use and love. When you click on one of these links, we will earn a small amount of money, at no additional cost to you, which we’ll use towards keeping the lights on here! You can read our full disclaimer here.
Content originally shared as a guest post on Womanhood with Purpose.
Hearts and candies and flowers, oh my! It’s a clash of red on pink and glitter galore. It’s romantic movies on every channel and overly priced gifts exploiting a single emotion. And all month long, it feels like your relationship status, or shall we say, lack thereof, is flashing like a marquee sign above your head. Single, single, SINGLE!
February is downright brutal for people who don’t have the luxury of selecting “in a relationship” on their Facebook profile. Everywhere you turn there’s a reminder of the gifts you will not receive, and the loving glances you won’t get across a romantic dinner for two. Instead, you plan the evening of the 14th to sit in your favorite sweats eating tear-stained ice cream straight out of the tub. It’s not a good month for your emotions and surely not a good month for your waistline.
So how do we, the unattached, survive what can be one of the most depressing times of the year?
Survival Tip No. 1
Remember that your relationship status does not define who you are as a human being. It’s easy to come to the conclusion that you must be doing something wrong since you don’t have a date. Everyone doubts themselves and lacks confidence in areas of their lives. Some fear that they are not smart enough, good looking enough or talented enough to enter a relationship or make it last. Those doubts and fears are not truths, they are lies planted by the one who wants to rob you from happiness; the very same one who planted doubts in the mind of Eve in the Garden of Eden. You are a person of worth, one who has achieved much and has overcome even more, and you will continue to do both, no matter if there is someone there to hold your hand or not.
Survival Tip No. 2
Know that there are others out there that love and support you. These individuals may not be the cutie you saw at the grocery store last week, but there’s someone out there who cares for you deeply; maybe not in a romantic sense of the word, but they love you no matter what. Friends and family whose lives you’ve touched, value you and your place in their lives. Recognize the relationships that you have with these people and know that this kind of love and affection is a love that will help you pick up the pieces for any kind of heartbreak you may experience in life, romantic or otherwise.
Survival Tip No. 3
Being single doesn’t mean that you are alone. Did you know that in the 2012 Census, there were 103 million unmarried individuals living in America? That’s a lot of single people! And I bet you, out of that number there are quite a few who feel the same way that you do about the pressure of finding that special someone. There are blogs and entire books dedicated to the topic of singleness and what it means to be “unattached” in today’s society. Looking to connect with others to share your own experience? Check out The Single Woman’s blog!
Survival Tip No. 4
Use this opportunity to grow in ways that will make you a better partner. Do you need to work on your patience or confidence? Maybe your culinary skills could use a bit of tweaking. Use the extra time that you have as a single to work on these areas. What about your faith? This could be the perfect time to begin developing your relationship with God so that you are more equipped to provide spiritually to your future spouse. Looking for ways to grow while you’re waiting? Check out my Pinterest board!
Survival Tip No. 5
Know that love will happen when you least expect it. I know it sounds cliche, but it will. We have no way of knowing when that special someone will cross our path,only God knows as He planned your every moment before you took your first breath. So all you can do is to trust that God has your best interest at heart (of course He does, He created you!) and know that when the timing is right (and it will be because He set it into being), you will find yourself face to face with a complete stranger who will turn your world upside down.
So this Valentine’s Day, instead of wallowing in self-pity, go out and celebrate with your friends and family. Find a single friend and compare notes about bad dates and horrible pick-up lines. Laugh together over a nice meal together in friendship and recognize how lucky you are that you have this time to become the best version of yourself!
More great resources for surviving Valentine’s Day:
- The Single Woman: Life, Love and Dash of Sass – Mandy Hale
- Five Ways to Celebrate Singleness – Focus on the Family
- Growth in Waiting – Breething.com
- Healing Playlist: 20 Songs to Uplift and Encourage – Seeingsunshine.com
