Tips for Single Guys on How to Handle Valentine’s Day

Valentines Day can be a lonely, depressing holiday if you don't have someone to spend all of your money on for the slim chance of getting some kind of physical contact. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Valentines Day isn't just a celebration of the love shared between two people who have or are about to enter into a government recognized relationship -- it's a celebration of the love of everything that you hold sweet and dear in your life. It's a grand affirmation of mankind's innate ability to express love, whether it's to the person who you've vowed your heart and soul to, the family who brought you into this world or the best buds who drive you home drunk even though you're spewing more than Mount Vesuvius.

If that still doesn't make you feel better about your Facebook relationship status, try doing one or more of the following on Feb. 14th.

Get out with your single friends

Misery may love company, but at least you and your friends can laugh in misery's big fat face by having the time of your life without a ball and chain tied to your ankle. Meet up at your favorite bar and hoist two or three (dozen) beers together in honor of your freedom and unspoken (and totally hetero) love for each other. Besides, you never know when you might meet someone. Having your buds with you as "wingmen" increases your odds more than sitting at home watching The History Channel and feeling sorry for yourself.

Take advantage of Valentine's Day discounts

Just because you don't have someone to splurge on doesn't mean you're prohibited by law from enjoying the same sales and discounts designed to bring in couples. Restaurants and bars love to take advantage of special days and holidays that fall in the middle of the week when their potential customer base is almost nil. And it's not like they're going to turn you away. You're alone on Valentine's Day -- if nothing else, they'll take pity on you.

Do something active

If you're the kind of single guy who's starting to get more than a little frustrated with the prospect of spending the rest of your life alone, the worst thing you can do is sit back and watch Valentine's Day pass before your eyes like so much sand in an hourglass. Get out of that comfortable easy chair and do something that gets your arms and legs moving for reasons other than walking back and forth to the fridge. Head off to the batting cages and knock a few out of the park. Pull those golf clubs out of the dusty garage and knock around a few balls at the driving range. Sign up for a boxing class at the gym and pound out those emotionally repressed rage thoughts on a heavy bag. See, there are plenty of ways to break a sweat outside of the bedroom. 

Avoid "singles" activities

If you're the kind of Type-A speed freak who's going to have a conniption if you don't have a date for Valentines Day, the worst thing you can do is just to speed up time. Speed dating sessions and singles bars can be a sad way to spend a Valentine's Day alone, since you're surrounded by a bunch of lonely folks who are as bummed out that night as you are. You're better off just doing something you enjoy that will allow you to meet people who enjoy the same things that you do. That way, you'll avoid a large bar tab and hangover.

Take a big chance

Maybe the reason you're alone on this hallowed holiday of hot lovin' is because you've been too scared to say how you really feel to the woman you've had your eye on. If the apple of your eye is alone on Valentines Day, stop putting it off and go talk to them. Use the day as a solemn vow to not sulk in some dark corner and let what could be a promising relationship slip away like so much beer in a tilted glass.

Stay at home and enjoy the freedom

Then again, there is something to be said for enjoying what you got while you still got it. If you're short on cash, your friends have dates of their own or your secret beloved has a batch of flowers and a Red Lobster dinner from someone else, live it up in your own way. Eat chocolate pudding for dinner. Stay up until 2 a.m. playing 'Left 4 Dead 2' on a weeknight. Read a book (or a 'Playboy') in bed and go to sleep without remembering to brush your teeth or put on your anti-snoring nasal strip. Live wild! The only thing that can keep you tied down is yourself.