A couple days ago, I sat down with my roommates and started talking about the idea of going out to dinner on your own.
Of course, knowing my friends, they mused themselves with jokes about the stereotypical tropes about the dos and don’ts of dating — make sure that you keep off your phone and give yourself your undivided attention, ask yourself lots of questions, and finally, be yourself.
But, after all the laughter, we finally got down to figuring out why this was such a “taboo” or joke-worthy topic. What made the idea of going out alone seem so odd?
On Valentine’s Day being single can seem like the worst thing for many people.
As we all know, couples will be barraging social media, public places, and et cetera, with exaggerated displays of affection that, on any other day, would seem absolutely ludicrous.
Nevertheless, I think that this day can be opened to not only celebrating the love for another person, but also, the love for oneself as well.
Presently, self-love has become a topic that revolves around the internet as people are highlighting more on the importance of it with regards to mental health and well-being.
Many people tend to believe that it can be tasking to take time out of your day or week to solely put focus on yourself when you have so many other things to think about.
Amidst the turmoil of essays, midterms and everything else, we are pressured to keep pushing forward and to prioritize many different things at once. But often, people forget to pull themselves into the picture and their needs go to the wayside.
Both of these things can be made into whatever you want them to be and if that means making reservations at your favorite restaurant or even just buying yourself chocolates, then do it and do not be afraid of what others might think.
In a recent study about the relationship between self-compassion and well-being conducted by German psychologists at the University of Manheim, research showed that participants who were high in self-compassion, or self-love, were more likely to live better lives and sustain a sense of well-being.
And so, I move back to the idea of “taking yourself out on a date” and how that can give you a day, or even just a night to distress and give yourself some of the care that you deserve.
Although, it seems pretty farfetched to connect all of these ideas around self-love back to just going out on your own, what I’m getting at, is that caring for yourself does not have to be incredibly complicated.
That’s why just to prove my own theory, I went to a movie at the Princess Theatre and then a dinner last month, completely solo — and honestly, being able to eat an entire bag of popcorn to myself was one of the most satisfying movie experiences that I have ever had.
Therefore, I think it can be one of the best feelings to just go out and treat yourself. So, this Valentine’s Day, or whatever day you want, I challenge everyone to do something for themselves because it is never a bad day, moment, or time to care about your well-being.
Valentine’s Day is not just for couples and neither is going out on dates.
Both of these things can be made into whatever you want them to be and if that means making reservations at your favorite restaurant or even just buying yourself chocolates, then do it and do not be afraid of what others might think.