Valentine’s Day is here; with that comes a hoard of single people moping about not having a date. If you are one of those people, I don’t blame you. It’s kinda hard to enjoy a holiday all about love when you are single . . . or is it?

Don’t get me wrong, the ideal way to spend Valentine’s Day is to have a date, but even if you don’t, there are plenty of ways to celebrate. So without further ado, here is your guide to Valentine’s day if you are single as a Pringle. 

Hang out with friends

While it may not be romantic, friendship is a good way to show love and affection. Love isn’t just romantic, and Valentine’s Day isn’t either. Many think you have to have a date or be in a relationship to enjoy it, but there are many more ways to express love outside of romance. Go see a movie with your best friend or invite a group of friends to dinner. 

Treat Yo Self

If you can’t love someone else, Love yourself! Instead of wasting all that money and time on a significant other, spend it on yourself. Go to the mall, buy an expensive meal, take a long bath, watch a movie, make time for a long gaming session, etc. there are plenty of ways to Treat Yo Self. Do what makes you happy.

Simply ignore it

Unlike Christmas, Valentine’s Day is extremely easy to ignore. If you are fed up with the holiday or are feeling depressed, just carry on like it’s any other day. Do some homework, fold some laundry, attend club meetings, etc. It sounds stupid and simple, but it’s really effective, especially if you’re someone like me who doesn’t really pay attention to Valentine’s day. Just keep yourself busy, and you can use the day to spruce yourself up, like getting a haircut or renovating your wardrobe.

Watch Trashy Reality TV

If none of those help and you’re still lonely, then I recommend watching trashy reality shows that will make you feel exponentially better about your love life. In particular, “90 Day Fiancé” is great for just seeing how hilariously stupid people can really be. There’s nothing better to get your spirits up than laughing at other people’s pain and stupidity! Trust me, watching these casts of buffoons spectacularly fail in basic everyday life helps a lot in making you realize just how good your life decisions are.

Stay positive

Above all, though, it’s important not to let the love in the air get you down or make you feel bad. I know it’s a difficult holiday for a lot of singles who want to mingle, but at the end of the day, it’s just a day we arbitrarily assigned to be our day of love. In reality, you should show love to everyone in your life every day, so having one day out of the year when you’re single doesn’t make you any less awesome. You aren’t defined by your love life. Sure, I get being depressed over the holiday, but it’s important to keep your head up and look to the future. Nothing will change by moping around. Above all though, it’s important to look within yourself. If you want to find a partner, just live as your authentic self. There is no tried and true equation for this stuff, so you are not hopeless. You don’t need to change yourself to have companionship unless you don’t take showers, then you absolutely need to change some stuff.