Make Valentine’s Day A Good Day

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. If you’re single you may anticipating the day with a sense of dread, fear or sadness. I’ve been there and I didn’t like it. It’s a shame that everywhere you look are reminders of romance and the love you think you’re missing. But there’s a way to seize the day and make it yours!

Here are 5 tips to make Valentine’s Day a good day this year:

1. Have a girls night: invite your single friends for a pajama party, watch movies (I suggest “The Heat” with Sandra Bullock), do face masks, eat fun food and enjoy each other’s company.
2. Move Your Body: Movement gets your endorphins going which will raise your mood. Movement also gets you out of your head, which is full of those pesky negative thoughts, and into your body. Physical activity is also a great tension reliever. Dance, do yoga, find a new place to walk the dog, lift weights, rearrange the furniture, clean.
3. Create Something: This is a great way to distract your mind and in the end have something to show for it. Cook a new recipe, make a vision board or paint a picture. When you’re absorbed in the creative process hours pass by without you noticing.
4. Give back: Make a plan to volunteer somewhere that needs your help. Visit a nursing home and give out flowers. Go to a hospital and read to a child. Find a shelter and walk a dog. That way you can move your body and give back.
5. If none of these feels right — Ignore it: Make it your day! Make it special by doing only what you want. Get up when you want, go where you want, eat what you want, go to bed when you want. Savor it! Bury yourself in a book, rent videos and have fun at home. Take a bath, have food delivered and take a break from the outside world. Unplug and enjoy the quiet. Take control of the day and make it yours.

Valentine’s Day, like every other day, is only 24 hours long. That’s not a long time to get through when you think about it. So this year, make your plans ahead of time and you’ll be making Valentine’s Day a good day.

To see my TV interview, “Surviving Valentines Day When You’re Single,” you can watch the interview here.