Anti-Valentine’s and the V-DAY Campaign

For many of the lonely and bitter singletons among us (myself included), any mention of Valentine’s Day induces the same sensations experienced when one is horrendously hungover in a 9 o’clock seminar; it feels drawn out, unpleasant and, at times, incredibly nauseating. Surrounded by seas of holiday brochure-worthy PDA couples snogging over their soggy overpriced risottos at poorly lit tables, for some it can all be a bit too much. But fear not, singletons. Lifestyle is here for you, and has your best interests at heart. Believe it or not, you can keep your readily-purchased Ben and Jerry’s supply in the freezer and leave Bridget Jones well alone. And don’t you dare touch Tinder. Here are 5 top tips to get you through the impending slush-fest. You’re going to really love us for them.

1) Find your fix: Remember all those ‘amazing’ TV series that you simply ‘had to watch’ half a year ago? Well, now is the perfect time to actually sit down and catch up on all those shows your friends were obsessed with when it was cool to be obsessed with them. Whether it’s Breaking Bad, Sherlock, or The Wire, you’re sure to have just as good a time as they foretold. Your friends wouldn’t lie to you, would they? Pop some corn, snuggle down and treat yourself to a TV marathon of your choosing. And if you’re stuck, remember it’s never too late to jump on the Game of Thrones bandwagon.

2) Date a mate: You’re lonely and miserable. Your mate is lonely and miserable. What’s stopping the two of you from going out for a 3 course meal and sharing the vino? If you’re good enough friends, it doesn’t have to mean anything, and you can sneer together at all the other couples. Bonus points if you can spot the awkward first dates nervously poking at their spaghetti which they definitely shouldn’t have ordered on their first date. Another bottle please, waiter.

3) Celebrate V-DAY instead: This one’s for a good cause. Inspired by Eve Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues, V-Day is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness of sexual abuse and violence towards women. Hundreds of students took part in the V-Day events at the University of York last year, helping to raise tons of money for an excellent cause.

4) Start loving YOU: Buy a bag of those little red and pink chocolate hearts, and enjoy munching every single one of them. Because you want to. Use the money you would’ve had to spend on dinner for two on a sexy new outfit for one. Because you can. Don’t mope alone in your room; hit town with the rest of your single friends and dance the night away. So what if you’re single? You are fabulous and quite frankly, nobody deserves you. Get out there and show everyone what they’re missing.

5) Hibernate: If all else fails, get an early night. There, there. It’ll all be over soon.