0 commentsNo matter how relieved you may be to finally get out of your marriage, there will always be pain, confusion and second guessing. Divorce makes you question your taste and judgement, and shakes your confidence in ever finding someone special to share your life.
No day makes this as evident as Valentine’s Day. No other spot on the calendar is so dedicated to happy couples and people in love. It seems to taunt the unattached, making you feel even worse than you normally do. You know this is a temporary feeling, but why not treat yourself to pick up your spirits? If Valentine’s Day gifts are for those you love, who better to give a gift to than yourself? It’s been said that you have to love yourself before you can love anyone else, so prove it by treating yourself to a Valentine’s Day gift.
Free or Inexpensive
If money is tight or you’re totally broke, you don’t have to skip the self-Valentine routine. You just need to get creative. Give yourself an evening or an entire day dedicated to the things you like best. If you’ve got kids, have them spend the night with Grandma or their friends.
This night is for you! Cook your favourite dishes with no mind to nutrition or cuisine. If you want fried ravioli, veggies with hot cheese dip and caramel apple pie, that’s what you make for your special meal. Dress up in something great, either a fancy outfit or sexy lingerie. Make sure you look good. Watch a movie you’ve been dying to see, but no tear-jerkers! This night is to affirm your fabulousness, not to give you excuses to feel sorry for yourself. Have a drink or two, if you indulge, such as fruity martini drinks or a great bottle of wine. Be inventive for the entire evening; the only rule should be that everything has to celebrate you.
Moderate
Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, treat yourself to a new set of experiences. Take a gourmet pastry class and learn how to make those fabulous cupcakes and pies everyone drools over. Join a book club and plan to get into heated discussions about books you enjoy. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity or the local food bank, and throw yourself into helping others. If you have a hobby you love, plan a trip to a hobby convention. Find a new craft and take lessons to learn how to do it. Whatever the direction you take, make sure your new experience is totally different from your ex, and that it has to do with getting out of the house and interacting with other human beings.
Indulgent
If money is no object, take advantage of all those specials that companies promote on Valentine’s Day and treat yourself to a romantic vacation for one. Valentine’s Day getaways can be a wonderful excuse to pamper yourself and reinvent your life. Go to a spa and have the works done, from daily massage to gourmet nutrition advice. Most of the world ignores Valentine’s Day, and no one promotes it like the commercial-happy Americans, so look to the rest of the globe for your indulgent Valentine’s Day treat.
Look at villas in France, Spain or the rest of Europe that you can rent for a week or a month. Treat yourself to an entirely new environment, whether it’s skiing in the frozen north or tanning on the sands of a Polynesian island. Meet new people, become a new character and create your own play for a week. You can be anyone while on holiday, no one will ever know. Why not be someone happy and fabulous? If you can fake it for a week, it can be the beginning of feeling it for real.
