Valentine’s Day is coming up this Friday, and I feel like I’m probably not alone in feeling like I don’t get to enjoy Valentine’s Day because I’m not in a sparkly relationship and I’m not set to go eat a spendy romantic meal for two. Let’s face it: inferiority, FOMO, and cringiness are all hangover feelings that can come from Valentine’s Day marketing. No matter what the corporations say, you don’t have to be in a relationship to make Valentine’s day an occasion.

I actually really love Valentine’s Day because growing up, my mom always made it a special day for my sisters and I. We would wake up to heart-shaped cinnamon toast or pancakes before school, and we’d dress up in special red and pink outfits that I’m sure included sparkly hair accessories. If we had a free weekend, it would be filled up by baking Valentine’s Day cookies and bedecking the house in light-up hearts and pink towels. My mom always seemed to make the day about how much she loved us and how much we love each other as a family.

There’s a lie around Valentines Day that not only do we mean less if we don’t have a significant other, but our potential and the love we have to give means less because it isn’t being channeled romantically. LIES! There are so many other ways to show love (especially to ourselves) on Feb. 14th:

1. have a galentine’s gathering

This year a bunch of my best friends from college are going to do a night in where we drink lots of wine, eat pizza and probably watch The Bachelor (making fun of people getting ridiculously in their feelings? That’s an activity for a Valentine’s Day-hater if I’ve ever heard one). I’m super excited to just celebrate our friendship and the fact that we get to hang out all together.

There are also tons of Galentine’s events that happen this season. Check out Instagram or Eventbrite for fun events near you to attend leading up to Valentine’s Day. I’m looking forward to a sip-and-shop event that features happy-hour style drinks and a build-your-own bouquet bar!

2. have an extravagant meal for one

Breakfast, lunch or a fancy dinner—anything’s game. Tons of people go out to eat fancy food on Valentine’s Day, and I think it’s a great idea to do that solo as well, but if being out in public on your own isn’t your thing, go to town and cook up an amazing dinner for one. The best part of this idea? You can eat whatever combination of foods you want! Want your dessert first? You do it that way. If you’re spending Valentine’s with a significant other or a group of friends, combine everyone’s favorite foods and have a feast. Or, keep festivities themed with heart-shaped cutouts and lots of red food coloring.

3. do those pesky adulting tasks

For my practical people out there (and, again, let’s face it—those of us who procrastinate all over the place), tasks like sorting out paperwork and checking on our budget are actually great ways to show ourselves that we think we’re worth the effort. Do even one or two of those tasks you’ve been dreading for days, weeks, months—your future self will thank you for showing yourself such love and devotion.

4. create a mood board for the rest of the year

Follow me on Pinterest for some mood board inspiration!

Creativity and some mindfulness in one! This can be a digital mood board you create on Pinterest or a physical board with images cut, pasted or painted on it. The key is to think about the feelings and activities you want more of in the rest of the year. Hang or save it in a place where it will serve as encouragement for your lifestyle or self-love goals.

5. check in with yourself

Use the day to get mushy if you want. I like to think about where I’m at with the whole loving-who-I-am thing. Maybe you come back with, “I’m awesome and I really like who I am and what I’m about”, and that’s GREAT! Do you have some work to do? Is there an insecurity you’d like to work on or a lie you’re believing about yourself? This is a great time to make note of it so you’re not bogged down by something you don’t have to be.

6. get dolled up…or down

I’m a huge believer in looking good to feel good. What type of clothing do you feel best in? Do you crave a pair of worn jeans and a t shirt after a week of wearing dress pants at your 9-to-5? Maybe you stick to casual outfits most of the time and want to don some fancy shoes and jewelry. Nothing is too extra—even if you just want to take a selfie for the ‘gram and dress up—feel good about it.

7. treat yourself.

Flowers are just the best way to treat yourself?

Again, you don’t need another person in order to do this. Whether it’s chocolate, wine, or flowers (I will 100 percent be indulging in flowers), do something to treat yourself or get into the more “frivolous” side of self-care, like using a face mask or bubble bath. Maybe you set aside the entire evening for Netflix binging. Use the day as an excuse to indulge in something you do rarely.

8. get moving

If in doubt, try to get some exercise in, especially if you’re like me and exercising is something you do pretty sporadically. Even taking a walk or doing a 10 minute workout video counts! I love Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. Lots of her videos are centered around self-love and she has a great range of longer and shorter videos.

9. Unplug

If you’re not a fan of this holiday, it might be an especially good idea to be off of technology for awhile. The more I think about it, the more I think I’m going to try to stay off of my phone for a night, just to give myself a break. Social media makes me compare myself to others constantly and while I love YouTube and Netflix, I know that I personally already spend plenty of time mindlessly consuming media. So, I might try to write while listening to music or just read a book.

10. ban comparison and critique

Big holidays are often days when we feel compelled to use others’ experiences as a measuring stick for where we’re at. Don’t! Just because someone posts their adorable relationship on Instagram doesn’t mean you need to be concerned about your place in your life. Try to just be happy for the relationship people in your life then appreciate that you’re also in a great spot. You have potential and you are a great person, just as you are right now.