Many single people spend the weeks leading up to February the 14th trying to find a way to avoid being alone, single, or sober on Valentine’s Day. While society often markets this holiday as one about dating, sex, and a lot of boozy beverages, it’s perfectly okay to be single and alcohol-free on this day.
How to Enjoy Valentines Day in Recovery
As you begin to navigate your sobriety and singleness, you may find yourself nervously awaiting the upcoming holiday. Despite our best intentions, it’s hard to avoid feeling lonely, especially when going through recovery. While a potential date for Valentine’s Day could be just a swipe away with any dating app, it is important that you continue to work on your sobriety. Instead of getting into a new relationship or rekindling an old one, consider the following alternatives for this Valentine’s Day:
1. Focus on Self-Care
Self-care is something that you should make time for in your everyday life, as well as on Valentine’s Day. Instead of spending the day thinking about past relationships that are no more, choose to move forward by focusing on how much you’ve grown as a person and how you’re now better for it. We’ve all made mistakes in life, but now is the time to forgive yourself and move past them.
As you plan for how you will spend the day, schedule in some acts of self-care by booking a spa day, ordering your favorite food, watching your favorite show, or doing anything else that brings joy to your life. Today is a day to feel good about yourself and bask in how great it is to be you.
2. Make Time for Goal-Setting
In addition to taking time for self-care, use your Valentine’s day to plan for any goals that you would like to accomplish this year. Whether you have a long-awaited project to complete or you’re hoping to reach a new milestone in life, Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to hammer away at these dreams of yours. Putting aside time to work on setting your goals is another way of saying “I love you” to yourself.
3. Spend Time with Loved Ones
Who said Valentine’s Day isn’t about loving others? If you have close family or friends nearby, reach out to them and see if you can spend some time together. If everyone is free to meet up, do things that you all enjoy together like seeing a movie, going out for ice cream, or meeting up at a coffee shop to chat.
If your family or friends aren’t available, give them a call or send a message. Simply showing that you care and are thinking about them is a nice reminder to you and to them about the love that you share for one other.
4. Give Back by Volunteering
Valentines Day is all about spreading positivity. If you’re looking for someone to spend time with during this holiday, look no further than your local animal shelter, nursing home, or any other nonprofit organization. By volunteering on February the 14th, you’ll be able to see firsthand just how much joy you bring to others. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or you decide to become a regular, you’ll find that the heartwarming feelings you experience through volunteering are what this holiday is all about.
5. Embrace Being Single
Even if you have big plans for enjoying Valentine’s Day, you may find that you still feel a bit lonely without a significant other. While it’s easy to say “embrace being single”, the reality of it is much more challenging. However, it’s important that you work on yourself now and remain single until you are truly ready to get into a relationship.
It’s important that you give yourself time to grow in your sobriety. If you jump into dating too quickly, chances are that it won’t be a healthy relationship. Your sobriety is still new to you and you won’t be in the best frame of mind to make discerning choices when it comes to romance. Once you take the time to really work on yourself, you’ll find that you are able to make better choices when it comes to dating.
Valentine’s Day is about far more than romance. Ditch the “lonely single person” narrative this year by keeping these four tips in mind. By taking time to love yourself and care for others, you’ll find that this Valentine’s Day may be the best one yet.
0 Comments