The Lovistics Guide to Enjoying a Stress-Free Valentine’s Day
20 Unique Ideas to Celebrate Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is meant to be a light-hearted day to express our love with thoughtful gestures and gifts, yet, I often hear many people tell me—whether they’re in a relationship, single, or heartbroken—that they find Valentine's Day quite stressful.
Not surprisingly, there’s actually such a thing as “Valentine’s Day stress,” and it can negatively impact one’s emotional well-being.
I get it, for many, Valentine’s Day is a holiday often loaded with romantic expectations that can distort the main intention of the day—to simply express our love and affection for those we care about.
Whether you're in a relationship, single, or heartbroken, here are some ideas to help you have a light-hearted and stress-free Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day Ideas for Couples
If you’re in a relationship, here are several ideas to help you do something special so that this Valentine’s Day doesn’t become just another day.
Have an Extra Special Dinner
Having a nice dinner is one of the most common things couples do for Valentine’s Day. You can make your dinner extra special by trying a new recipe, using some unique ingredients, or ordering in from one of your favorite local restaurants.
And don’t forget to go the extra mile by lighting candles, playing a romantic playlist, setting the table nicely (bust out the nice dishes!), or try one of the great dessert ideas in this article.
At-Home Wine Tasting
For those who enjoy wine, why not set up your own wine at-home tasting event? You could try pairing one wine with your appetizer and dinner and another wine with your dessert. For some ideas on creative pairings of wine and ice cream, check out this article.
Make a Valentine's Day Playlist
Collect some of your favorite love songs and take turns enjoying an evening listening to your selections. You can describe what you love about the songs—the lyrics, the melody, or does it remind you of a special memory?
And if you need some ideas, check out my personal "Love Is..." playlist with hours and hours of feel-good love songs.
Create a Dessert Bar (Great for Kids)
Make dessert a little more creative by setting out a “dessert bar” with ingredients like ice cream, cookies, and toppings such as chocolate syrup, whip cream, or fruits. Participants will enjoy building their own concoctions.
And if you have kids, it’s been my experience that they love to name their one-of-a-kind desserts.
Take in a Concert, In Person or Online
Most music venues offer special Valentine’s Day events, but if you want to stay in, there are great recorded concerts you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Here are some concert films on Netflix.
Make a Chocolate or Cheese Fondue
Making fondue is a classic romantic dessert, and with good reason! Not only is it a fun activity you can do together, but you can get creative with the items you dip in the chocolate fondue, such as fruit, pretzels, marshmallows, Rice Krispie treats, etc.
Also, doing a cheese fondue is a great idea if you or your partner don’t have much of a sweet tooth.
Catch a Double-Feature
What’s more romantic than watching a romantic movie? Watching two romantic movies! There’s just something so indulgent about watching two movies in a day.
Perhaps you and your partner can each pick a movie and surprise one another with your choice—and no complaining! (This was actually how I got my partner to watch Dirty Dancing for the first time last year, lol.)
For some movie ideas, check out Rotten Tomatoes' 100 Romantic Movies of all time.
Have a Games Night
Put your comfy clothes on, grab your favorite snacks, and settle in for an evening of board games. Not only is this activity plain fun, but studies have shown time and time again how important having fun is to a couple's overall health.
Get back to basics and play something like chess, Scrabble, or card games.
Let’s Dance
Have you and your partner always wanted to learn to dance? There are plenty of dance schools offering in-person or online dance classes. You can try just one class or purchase a group of classes, which makes a great gift.
Let the Conversation Flow
If you want to get some good conversation flowing, you can try conversation starters. You can either purchase a box of conversation cards, or if you're short on time due to deliveries, you can check out these online conversation starters.
Visit an Art Museum
Check out local museums as well as world-renowned museums for virtual events. Browse the online event calendar for The AGO here.
Massage
Taking turns giving one another a massage is a great way to connect with your partner and relieve stress. Make sure to take your time and focus on the areas that your partner loves to have massaged.
Whether it's a long foot rub or an extended back rub, use this quality time to connect through the love language of physical touch.
Get Active
An often overlooked Valentine's Day activity is to do something active. Whether you bundle up and go for a long walk or do a hike you haven't done before, or do a fun winter activity such as skating or tobogganing, you can't go wrong with doing a physical activity together.
Unique Plans for Valentine’s Day if You’re Single or Dating
If you’re single this Valentine's Day, there are plenty of self-love activities you can do to enjoy your day.
Try one of these ideas, or any of the above, on your own or with friends.
Celebrate Galentine's/Friends' Valentine's Day
Celebrate as the Latinos do! In Latin America, Valentine's Day is known as "The Love and Friendship Day", which opens up this holiday as an opportunity to celebrate the many loves of your life.
Have a Date With Yourself
Even if you are single, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the many pleasures of Valentine's Day. Go ahead and plan a special date with yourself; make yourself a nice dinner, light candles, and play music you love. And don't forget a dessert just for you.
These practices of self-love are powerful for your sense of self, communicating to yourself that you deserve to be loved and cared for.
Take a Deluxe Bath
Zjujz up your usual bath routine with some extras. Read a book or tablet, light a candle, listen to some great music,m and if you’d like have a special drinki or decadent snack.
Delivery! Best surprise ever.
If you have a friend going through a breakup, make their Valentine's Day special by surprising them with a care package.
Send them a book or ice cream, the quintessential indulgence to help people through the heartache blues.
Ideas if you’re feeling heartbroken
If you're heartbroken this year, and it feels like Valentine’s Day is making you feel worse, I've been there, and I completely understand.
However, you can still do many of the activities listed above if you’d like, either with friends or on your own if you prefer. The most important thing is to ensure that you are taking good care of your healing heart and giving yourself the love you want, need, and deserve.
Name a Cockroach After Your Ex
Back by popular demand, the San Antonio Zoo is running their "Cry me a cockroach" event. For $5 you can purchase a cockroach and name it after your ex, and then on February 14th, the cockroaches will be fed to hungry birds and reptiles.
And yes, this is for real! I bought one for a girlfriend going through a breakup years ago, and she loved the idea!
Have an At-Home Spa Experience
Take that long bath, put on that goopy facemask, do the pedicure, and treat yourself to a relaxing spa experience.
Heartbreak Karaoke
One of the best ways to deal with the Valentine's Day blues is to sing your heart out! Whether you sing the blues with your friends or sing on your own, the most important thing is that you feel it all and express what's in your heart.
And if you need a little inspiration, check out my breakup playlists ("Scorned" is my favorite!)
I hope some of these ideas have inspired you to make this year's Valentine's Day enjoyable and stress free.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Xoxo,
Natalia
VALENTINE’S DAY RESOURCES
Not surprisingly, there’s such a thing as “Valentine’s Day stress,” which can negatively impact one’s emotional and mental well-being. Here are some of my Valentine’s Day resources to help you have a stress-free day.
ARTICLE: The Lovistics Guide to Enjoying a Stress-Free Valentine’s Day
Whether you're in a relationship, single, or heartbroken, this guide contains a wide variety of ideas to help you have a light-hearted and stress-free Valentine’s Day.
BLOG: Having a Blue Valentine’s? I’ve been there
If you’re struggling to get through Valentine's Day, I hope hearing about my bluest Valentine’s Day will help you feel less alone.
PLAYLIST: “Love is” on Spotify (healthy love songs)
Love is ... kindness, respect, and compassion. Love is NOT drama, infatuation, or fear. This playlist has been specially curated to represent how uplifting, truly healthy love can be. The kind of love that brings peace, security, and happiness to our hearts.
If you’re interested in working together we can start right away with a session or a complimentary 20-min consultation.
Natalia Juarez | Relationship Coach & Dating Strategist
Natalia Juarez is a breakup coach and dating strategist. After going through a broken engagement in 2010, she became obsessed with reimagining heartbreak as an opportunity for transformation. Today, she helps men and women through the entire spectrum of breakups or divorce—helping them recover, initiate a separation, win an ex back, and find new love.
She's been featured in publications worldwide, including Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Guardian, Vice Media, NPR, among major Canadian media.