If you're single on Valentine's Day, there are a few ways you can cope. Firstly, you can forget the whole thing exists and live your life like it were any other boring day — a solid plan. Secondly, you could spend the day wallowing in a state of self-pity because you don't have a date (I strongly advise against this). Or thirdly, you could make the most of your singlehood and its seemingly unfortunate timing — my personal favorite tactic. There's no shortage of things to do on Valentine's Day if you're single. Trust me.
In fact, you might be better off than your friends who are coupled up. Think about it. You don't have to put a whole lot of thought into your Valentine's Day plans or spend way too much money on flowers and chocolates. There's no pressure to make the day special for anyone but yourself and what's great about that? Well, no one knows you better than you know yourself. Say goodbye to ghosts of Valentine's Days past that failed to meet your Hollywood-inspired expectations and treat yourself to the Valentine's Day you've always deserved.
If you're short on ideas, here are 25 fun things to do on Valentine's Day because, to quote Jessica Day in New Girl, you are "single and sufficient."
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Grab a fancy latte at your favorite coffee shop.
Finally visit that museum you've been meaning to go to for months now.
Update your bucket list, creating different categories for the items on your list.
Make Valentine's Day-inspired shots for you and your friends.
Try a new workout, like yoga to open your heart up to new possibilities.
Spend the day laying out at the beach or the pool if it's not too cold where you live.
Binge-watch your favorite TV show or Netflix series.
Create the ultimate single girl playlist and throw a dance party for one in your apartment.
Plan your next solo trip.
Plan a trip with your single friends.
Take yourself out for ice cream or frozen yogurt and don't hold back on the toppings.
Cook Valentine's Day dinner for your pets — you know you want to.
Get a psychic reading to see what's in your romantic future.
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Write yourself a letter to open next year on Valentine's Day.
Swipe through dating apps and ask your matches how they're spending Valentine's Day.
Have your makeup professionally done, even if it's just for the selfies.
Come up with a drinking game for when you're swiping through Valentine's Day posts on social media — take a shot every time someone uses the heart emoji in their captions.
Order a heart-shaped pizza for one — totally worth it, BTW.
Sign up for a free class using edX; they offer tons of opportunities to learn something outside of your major that you've always been curious about.
Put on some cute workout clothes and go for a run — a million times better if you can take your dog along.
Switch off your phone and watch the sunset.
Go on a first date with someone you met on a dating app.
Plan a Galentine's Day date with your friends.
Get wine-drunk and take as many ridiculous online quizzes as you can.
Text all of your dating app matches wishing them a happy Valentine's Day just to see what happens.
I know romantic comedies would rather have you believe that being single on Valentine's Day is the worst thing in the world but it's really not. Do whatever you need to do to remind yourself that there's more to life than oversized teddy bears and wilted flowers.
Check out the entire Gen Why series and other videos on Facebook and the Bustle app across Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.