You’ve heard it before… No date for Valentine’s Day? Ah, better curl up on your sofa in your freezing student house, call up the Domino’s guy because that’s pretty much the only human interaction you’re going to have all day, grab that Ben & Jerry’s and settle in for a long day of loneliness and rubbish Netflix shows. Maybe cry a bit, or post a whiny Yak, you know, just so everyone knows how sad and lonely you are.
Quite a few of my friends are in relationships or, even worse, “kind of in a thing”. At least when someone is in a happy relationship, they’re often content to just spend time looking into their significant other’s eyes without bothering the rest of us. If the relationship is a bit more complicated, there will inevitably hours spent discussing said complications in your friendship group, rehashing texts and racking your brains for suitable advice to give a friend having a relationship drama. If the aforementioned friend gets too mopey, utensils may be thrown. Trust me. I know.
Relationship talk is so easy to get dragged into, but it doesn’t need to be the be-all and end-all of your existence. Embrace your single-ness! Being a single pringle isn’t really all that bad, is it? (Why do I keep saying that, Pringles aren’t single at all? Always spooning…) Despite what our loved up friends may lead us to believe, it is perfectly possible to just be happy on your own!
So what can we singletons do on Valentine’s Day? Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you can’t get out there and enjoy the sights and sounds of Exeter all on your tod. Despite the fact that most of us don’t venture further than the stretch of road between Unit 1 and Mosaic, we’re lucky enough to live in a beautiful city surrounded by countryside and things to do! Why not head to one of Exeter’s many coffee shops, take a book and enjoy the afternoon people-watching or reading, and just enjoy some time to yourself? On the other hand, this could bring you into contact with some icky couples. Perhaps not?
Even in this winter weather, it’s always beneficial to get out of the house. Grab a few friends and jump on the train to Exmouth, or if you feel like it, just head out on your own. (Note: this is not loser- ish. I did this last week, and I’m pretty sure none of my fellow beach-goers were pitying me. I hope.) Despite it not exactly being bikini-weather, the beach is a great place for a walk no matter who you’re with. And you’ve got to get that fresh air and Vitamin D wherever you can, right?
And remember to get energised! Get up, go outside, stretch, take a walk. Optional follow up: get on a plane. Never return. Seriously though, being active can make any situation (even hopeless singledom) feel that little bit better.
Not being in a relationship doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice day. Spend time with the people you care about, or even just to do something nice for yourself.
Or, you could do what I’m doing, and go to an event created just for bitter singletons like yourself, aptly named ‘Romance Is Dead Pub Crawl Piss Up’. You all enjoy your dates; I’ll be over here, call- ing for another shot of tequila and trying to stop my friend from chatting up a chair. Whatever works for you, I guess.
