Being single makes you more prone to the Valentine’s Day blues, but just when you think you’re only going to experience those emotions every February, you find out that there is another version of Valentine’s Day that happens in the middle of the year. That’s right! The Qixi Festival (also known as the Double Seventh Festival) is coming up, and it takes place every 7th day of the 7th lunar month. It’s meant to celebrate the annual meeting of a cowherd called Niulang and a weaver girl called Zhinu, and even though not all activities of the Qixi Festival are for couples, the romantic nature of the myth made Chinese Valentine’s Day. Although you’re not likely to see hearts and Valentine’s Day greetings during this time of the year, you might find yourself feeling lonely once you learn about the Qixi Festival. You don’t have to feel sad though because here are some things you can do to take care of yourself during the 2nd day of hearts.
1. Buy all the chocolates you want
Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to splurge on fancy chocolates, but don’t be sad if you don’t have a special someone to give you chocolates because you can always buy some for yourself. After all, it’s only once a year (or twice a year if you’re still single on the next Valentine’s day), so let yourself go all out and be the person that you read about in Math problems. Nothing can stop you! (Except maybe diabetes).
Photo from The Spruce Eats
2. Treat yourself to a Shopee sale
Happy Valentine’s Day? More like happy “Treat Yourself to Another Shopee Sale” day! We know we shouldn’t be encouraging you to add more things to your cart (you’re already waiting for enough packages to arrive), but what would Valentine’s Day be without gifts? But this time, you don’t have to worry if your partner is going to like your gifts or not because they’re all for you.
3. Watch a movie by yourself
You’ve probably done this enough times because of quarantine, but even if you have someone to live-stream a movie with, you’re technically still watching alone because you’re just in your room by yourself, so you’re not missing out on much. Besides, when you’re watching a movie by yourself, you don’t have to worry about being too engrossed in the movie and ignoring your partner. You don’t even have to share your snacks with anyone.
Photo from Worldzfeed
4. Be sure you have ample plushies to cuddle with
The best way to beat the Valentine’s Day blues is through cuddles, so be sure you have a lot of plushies within cuddling-range. You don’t have plushies? You can always hug your pets to show them some love (don’t do it to your goldfish though). You don’t have pets either? Build a blanket fort or transform into a blanket burrito. The possibilities are endless.
5. Make a fancy dinner for yourself
How many times have you stumbled upon recipe videos on YouTube or Facebook? How often have these videos made you hungry in the middle of the night? And how often have you vowed to try and make these recipes? Well, now’s your chance! It doesn’t matter how average your cooking skills are. If the food isn’t good, then only you would know because you’re not cooking to impress anyone. But think of the good things if the food turns out to be a success: all the portions are for you, and you also have less dishes to wash.
Photo from Better Homes and Gardens
6. Spend time with your friends and family
When you’re single, you tend to get preoccupied with feeling lonely during Valentine’s Day, and you forget that you can always celebrate with your friends and family. So if you were planning to spend the Qixi Festival listening to sad songs alone in your room, why don’t you go do the aforementioned things on this list with your family or friends instead?
