The Single Girl's Guide To Valentine's Day

 Whether you’re a romantic at heart or a cynic who believes that Valentine's Day is “just an excuse for greedy corporations to manipulate the consumerist tendencies of modern society and cash in on love”, the reality is that Valentine's Day exists. In fact not only does it exist, but it can actually be fun, with or without a partner. So resist jumping on the cynical bandwagon or post-Notebook sobbing into your Kleenex about 'never finding a love like Noah and Allie’s', RSVP ‘No’ to the pity party and follow our Valentine's Day ‘Dos and Don’ts’ for an enjoyable, tear-free day.

Dos and Don'ts For Singletons On February 14th.

DO... Dress Up - So you don’t have a date? Who cares? Dressing up to the nines will not only make you aesthetically fabulous, but that sexy LBD and ‘to-die-for’ patent heels are an instant feel-good confidence booster.

DON'T... Hide Away - If you’re the type of person that ‘didn’t even remember that it was Valentine's Day’ then feel free to go about your normal business! But if your forced, ‘blissful ignorance’ is likely to turn into you drunk-dialling an ex whilst sobbing and binging on Ben and Jerrys then remember, company is key.

DO... Avoid Couples - This one might be a bit of a no-brainer, but if you’re not in the mood for PDA-happy twosomes, resist romantic hotspots like restaurants and head for a cocktail bar, (2-4-1 anyone?).

DON'T... Drink Too Much - “Whoooo…. I mean who needs a guy anyways? I have youuu bootifuuul, lovely girlies and you’re bootifuuuul…” Happy-drunk? Yes. Hysterically sobbing into a hankie every time a Dominoes advert pops up, (“*sob* Dan used to eat pizza...*sob*… ”), sad-drunk? Not so good.

DO... Have A Pamper Party - Have a girl’s night! A couple of face masks, your best friends and the first season of Sex and the City guarantees you some girly fun. Throw in a pitcher of margaritas and an hour later you’ll be wondering why you ever thought you needed a man.

DON'T... Forget Your 'Taken' Friends - They may have a boyfriend, but if for some reason they don’t have plans then invite them along. (Just make them aware that you will be enforcing VERY strict ‘no gushing’, ‘no romantic reminiscing about the boyfriend’ and ‘no being smug’ rules).

DO... Embrace The Love - Chances are that unless you live in a cave, you’ll spend most of the day being bombarded by little red paper hearts and adverts for ‘Love Songs II’, but don’t hate it, embrace it! Why not bake some cupcakes for your best friend, or make a card for your mum? Valentine's Day is about Love as well as romance so pamper the other ‘loves’of your life.

DON'T... Dig Into The Past – Digging is best left to archaeologists, so unless you’re planning to join Tony Robinson for some Time Team-based activities, leave the past in the past. The last thing you or your girlfriends need is the 39th tearful rendition of ‘how it all went wrong...'.

DO... Share Stories - If you really feel the need to talk about The Ex then why not focus on the things that make you GLAD to be single - He had the mother from hell? A weird obsession with Orlando Bloom? “He wanted me to put maple syrup and masking tape on his…”? You’ll be giggling into your Grenache and swapping war stories in no time.

DON'T... Watch Romantic Films - You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't enjoy the occasional rom-com, but watching one on Valentine's Day is like asking to be slapped with a big ol’ plate of ‘look what I have and you don’t’. Ditch the Hollywood romances in favour of something a little less depressing. 'Dawn of the Dead' anyone?

Impulse Control

10 Things To Avoid For An Easier Life.

1) Drunken Texting - Drunk words are sober thoughts right? Wrong. Even if you do spend your lunch breaks lusting over your boss, I highly doubt that he will appreciate an in-depth description of your underwear at 3am. His wife may also resent it.

2) Buying Clothes in the Wrong Size – Don’t. Yes that dress might be 'gorgeous' / 'just like the one Scar-Jo wore in that film' / 'perfect for the Christmas party if i diet a bit'... but if it’s two-sizes-too-small then DON’T buy it. It’ll never see the light of day, just take up precious closet space.

3) Skipping Bums and Tums to Watch Desperate Housewives – Slumming on the sofa with a bar of Galaxy and staring at Eva Longoria will only make you feel guiltier about missing your weekly exercise. Be good, wait for the Sunday repeats.

4) Leaving That Important Report Until the Night Before It’s Due - Yes it’s boring but you’ll feel SO much better if you get it out of the way early, (and a lot less guilty about going out for cocktails with the girls).

5) Changing Yourself For a Man - Have you ever read ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’? No? Read it. If he doesn’t like you now then no amount of haircuts, crash dieting or new and 'interesting' hobbies will change it. Accept it... and move on. It’s his loss.

6) Blindly Following Every Fashion Trend You Lay Your Eyes On - That sequined tutu may have looked AMAZING on the catwalk in Milan but there’s no chance in hell you’ll be able to rock that on a high street in Bognor Regis.

7) Work Flings - We all love the thrill of a workplace romance; secret kisses in the hallways, flirty inter-office emails, what’s not to love? Try sexual flashbacks and awkward glances over the boardroom table when your 'passionate affair' goes south.

8) Argument-Fuelled Revenge – OK, he may have called your best friend 'heavy' but playing Frisbee with his prized Rocky collection will only result in more arguments and a lot of guilt sex.

9) Cutting Your Own Hair – Unless you WANT to look like The Joker, this is one thing best left to the professionals. (As is dying, perming and any other complicated follicle artistry).

10 ) Those Last Few Chocolates - Yes you may have eaten half of the box but NO that doesn’t mean you HAVE to eat the rest. Put them away. They won't feel 'lonely', they'll feel happy that they didn't suffer the same painful death as their friends.