With February right around the corner, many of us are already getting itchy about Valentine’s day. Love it or hate it, very few of us want to be alone on Valentine’s day. Here are some tips on how to get in time!

Firstly, don’t panic. At the end of the day, Valentine’s day isn’t even a real holiday. It’s a day we use to sell chocolate, cover things in pink glitter and remind ourselves the world is a wonderful place filled with love and teddy bears.

Sure promotion and marketing go a little crazy in the build-up, but like Halloween, people quickly forget about it as soon as it’s over. If only March 14 AKA Steak and Blowjob day got as much attention!

Despite all that, it’s still nice to have a date and not be alone on Valentine’s day. It’s cliched, consumerism at it’s best/worst, but still kind of nice. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a date on Valentine’s day. Whatever you decide to do, know there’s no wrong answer or way to spend it.

Join a club

January is over, and you may or may not have started going to the gym. Now’s a good time to remind yourself to go again! Socialising more is a great way to meet new people and get potential dates. Check to see if your local gym has any classes you might want to join in, our recommendation is pilates and spin classes. Don’t worry if people tease you about going to a “woman’s” class because they’ll be super envious of your buns afterwards.

Sports clubs, in general, are a great way to meet new people and get healthy., You can find mixed gender clubs. Look for local Frisby clubs, running clubs. You don’t need to go in with dating in mind, rather try and enjoy yourself and take an interest in other people. Start conversations and be friendly. Keep things cool and casual.

Nonsports clubs are also great. Get your geek on by finding a local book club, D&D group or even a film club. Whatever your interests are, there’s going to be a club or meet-up out there for it.

Get online

Online dating is a part of modern life. Get yourself out there in virtual space. Download mobile apps like Tinder or Bumble, join free dating websites like OKCupid. Consider going out the box with sugar daddy dating sites such as SeekigArrangement.

Online dating is a bit of a number’s game. Make sure you set up an attractive profile. Ask your female friends for advice on photos to use and come up with a short and funny bio. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a great response at the start.

Make sure you go on a couple of dates before Valentine’s Day. Having a first date on Valentine’s day can definitely be awkward, although not unheard of.

Try blind dates

Ask your friends or family to set you up on a blind date. It can feel hit or miss, but if you go in without expectation you might be surprised. Those close to us generally know us best, and may even know someone who would be a perfect match. That girl your mother has been trying to set you up with? Why not, give it a shot.

Otherwise, you can also look into events like speed dating. Speed dating might sound lame and maybe a bit sad, but they can also be a lot of fun depending on the mindset you have going in. Think of it more as a fun one-off thing to try. If you focus on the experience and fun aspect as opposed to pressuring yourself to find love, you may find yourself enjoying it more than you’d think!

Create a group event

If finding love is totally not going to happen, why not set up a platonic date? If you have single friends who also think Valentine’s day stinks, why not set up a group event. You can all go bowling, watch a film or just have a gaming session at home.

Go full anti V-Day and make everyone dress up in black. Do something stupid, make fun of the “holiday” with your friends and just aim to have a really awesome Wednesday night. You don’t have to be alone on Valentine’s Day, but you also don’t have to be doing something strictly romantic.