By Juliet O

We love being single here at Zoosk. And we hope you singles out there are enjoying and celebrating your singlehood. We’re an online dating website, so obviously, we don’t want you to remain single forever. However, we believe that in order to be successful in a relationship, you have to first be okay with being single. It’s like that old saying: to love another person you have to first love yourself. To celebrate singles everywhere, we’ve come up with 10 simple, easy ways you can make the most out of being single (and ready to mingle).

10. Go out to a great dinner with your single friends

One of the best aspects of being single is hanging out with your single friends. Spending time with couples is okay, but from a singleton myself, I definitely prefer hanging out with fellow singles. We’re just more fun! And we definitely know how to party. This week, organize a dinner with your single pals. Whether its casual or elegant, raucous or sedate, go somewhere for food and drinks with the company of people you enjoy spending time with.

9. Take yourself to a movie

Seeing movies by yourself is great, particularly if you know in advance you’re going to cry. Going with a friend to see The Notebook definitely backfired on me, when I burst into sobs and embarrassed myself. Seeing a movie by yourself is a wonderful, relaxing way to spend an evening, and it’s great knowing that you don’t need to dress up or impress anyone. Bonus points if you take yourself out for ice-cream on the way home from the theater.

8. Go to a cafe and read

Reading in a bustling cafe is such fabulous people watching! Curl up in a cozy booth with a frothy cappuccino, a warm scone, and a great novel (since it’s singles week, make it a novel about someone single… and make sure it has a happy ending). Need a book recommendation? Some of our favorite (optimistic) novels about single people (albeit some of these single people eventually find love in the end) include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brone, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.

7. Dance alone in your room

Dancing alone if your room is fun no matter how old you are, and it’s great exercise too! Do you have guilty pleasure songs that you secretly love but would never admit to loving in front of another person? Like your secret obsession with Whitesnake? Or the fact that you know all the words to “In the Air” by Phil Collins? Whatever, you’re single and you’ll do whatever you want! Turn on the stereo to all your favorite guilty pleasures and have a dance dance revolution by yourself in your room. Props if you use the hairbrush as a microphone to really get down and rock out.

6. Go on a bar crawl

Name me one couple that frequently goes on bar crawls together — without having the scenario end in tears. It’s more fun for singles to go out and drink! You can flirt with whomever you please, you can stay out late without having your significant other ‘babysit’ you, and you can get as messy and embarrassing as you want to get, without feeling like you’re being judged. This week, organize a bar crawl with your single party friends. Paint the town red!

5. Eat something with tons of garlic

Yuuuum. Garlic. Pile it on! You are single and this means you can eat as much garlic as you want. Go somewhere delicious, Italian, and delightfully smelly, and tell them to put extra garlic on the spaghetti. Eat up the whole plate and sop up the extra sauce with (what else) garlic bread. It’s your prerogative, and you will do as you please. Bonus points if you eat something with garlic and onions — all within the same meal. You’ll keep vampires at bay!

4. Dress to the nines

You are a fun, fierce singleton. This is your way to show it to the world. Dress to the nines. Put on your sexiest shoes, your hottest clothes. Better yet, go buy some new clothes to treat yourself for the occasion. Singles Week only happens once a year! Strut your stuff and make people jealous. Because you can. 🙂

3. Challenge yourself physically

Challenging yourself physically is a great way to get in shape and feel fabulous about yourself. You know how, when couples get comfortable with each other, they simply let themselves go? They begin to stay at home, eating pizza in front of the television, not working out, and then WHAM, five months later you barely recognize them? Being single means you’re not letting that happen to you! Challenging yourself with physical exercise is a great way to introduce endorphins into the body. You’ll feel lighter, happier, more productive, and you’ll be shocked to see how this impacts your energy level.

2. Flirt with someone online

One of the best things about being single? Online dating! Obviously! Celebrate singles week by flirting with someone on Zoosk. Just because you’re happy being single now doesn’t mean you want to be single forever, and we totally respect that. That’s why we’ve built this application that introduces you to tons of singles in your local area. Meet them on Zoosk. Chat a bit. Then, after you’ve flirted for a week on the site, invite them to meet in real life (after single’s week is over, hehe) and see the sparks fly! <3

1. Carve out ‘me time’ each day to do something for yourself

The most important thing for you to do, as a single, is to treat yourself right. Take bubble baths. Meditate. Go to yoga. Or, party with your friends. Go out every night. Don’t sleep for three straight days. Whatever it is that makes you happy and content with yourself, do that. It’s your life that you can live how you wish, singles, and all we want is for you to have a great time.

photo credit: morphomir