Valentines Day – Survival Guide for Singles

Valentine’s Day can range from annoying to dreadful when you aren’t in a relationship. Often, singles are confronted with having to decide whether to sit at home and cry, or ignore the day entirely. However, this doesn’t always have to be the case.

A survey conducted by Chillisource, an international survey website, shows that a staggering 69 per cent of males will be spending Valentine’s Day alone. The percentage of women who will also be alone is reported to be about 32. While Valentine’s Day is considered a day best spent with a significant other, those expecting to be alone may use this day on other activities and some good ‘me time’.

With the help of a few people, we’ve compiled a list of things for singles to do on Valentine’s Day.

1. Spread the love: Valentine’s Day is generally the best time to express your love and appreciation to those closest to you. This could be a friend, your mother,a sister or neighbour. High-school students Micheala Groenewald and Marina Barnard believe that Valetine’s Day is for everyone, regardless of whether you’re in a relationship. Micheala, who will be celebrating the day at home in front of her television said, “To me, Valentine’s Day is just like every other day. I celebrate those I love all the time – not just on a designated day”.

2. Go out with your other single friends: Xolani Mbambo believes that being single on Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Another way to curb the loneliness is to spend time with your other single friends.

3. Have a glass of wine: Yes, you heard right. According to the Mayo Clinic and research conducted by a large number of health practitioners, wine, particularly red wine, contains several antioxidants which help prevent heart disease and cancer. The findings further state that red wine drinkers have lower levels of HDL cholesterol, better sleep and lower cardio-metabolic risk factors. Taken ‘moderately’, wine can be good for the human body.

4. Catch up on your reading: Reading is one of the best ways to spend time alone. If you are usually into romantic novels, you may want to check out books that give you a new perspective on love.

5. Binge-watch movies and series: Another way to keep yourself entertained is to re-watch some of your old time favourite movies and catch up on your series. This is according to Princess High students, Leo Wande, Reba Mogomotsi and Tokollo Ramose. If you are interested in a movie marathon, you may opt for films with rather bitter endings, like James Cameron’s Titanic or Baz Luhrmann’s tragic Romeo and Juliet.

6. Give yourself a treat: Devoted mother, Irma Diana, says it is important to pamper yourself. “Go out to some cafe or restaurant and treat yourself. I personally treat Valentine’s Day like every other day”, she added.

7. Change the date: If the abovementioned suggestions don’t quite do it for you, Comedy Central’s Roast Battle Champ, Richelieu Beaunoir, has just the solution. He said, “Another thing one can do is change the date on the calendar, go forward one day.” In this case, you can just pretend it’s the day after Valentine’s Day, 15 February.

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