Valentine’s Day is a strange holiday for most people. For those in a relationship, finding the perfect gift is always a bit anxious. Is a grand display of love grand enough for your partner? Or will it embarrass them? Maybe you forgot that they hate strawberries, so you bought them a box of chocolates. (oops.)
If you’re single, this day can be a painful reminder of a lost love (see tips here) or a liberating reminder that it’s totally okay to fly solo.
No matter how you’re feeling today, finding comfort online can be healing. From connecting with strangers to crying over cute movies, we’ve listed seven things you can do online this Valentine’s Day.
Explore decades of expressions of platonic and romantic love in Google’s virtual Love Museum.
Credit: Google
1. Visit Google’s Virtual Museum of Love
Google’s Museum of Love is filled with virtual events that combine history and art with learning, relaxation, and inspiration. See love-related artifacts in the world’s most famous museums, read love letters from across the centuries (including Beethoven’s), or learn about the history of Valentine’s Day cards. Take a quiz on art history or relax while completing a digital painting. It’s all waiting for you at Google’s Museum of Love.
2. Play games with strangers
Interested in interacting? Try a site like Tabletopia or Board Game Arena, where you can play board games with strangers from all over the world.
If you don’t fancy taking turns to earn points, you can explore the virtual world in Roblox, where playing games is as easy as building a Barbie dream house or designing the cutest Hello Kitty cafe.
Image source: Netflix / Tudum
3. Watch Netflix and relax (be with yourself)
Signing into Netflix can feel like opening Pandora’s box. There are so many choices, especially if you’re having the Valentine’s Day blues. Don’t worry, Netflix has got you covered with this list of the 17 best movies for Valentine’s Day. From the music title (Mamma Mia, tick, tick…boom) to horror and everything in between, this list has something for just about every type of Valentine’s Day reveler.
4. Get warm fuzzies New York Times‘ Modern Love Archives
Love hurts! Love heals. New York TimesThe Modern Love column has been exploring the pain, passion and purpose of love for 20 years. Their archive of hundreds of reader-submitted stories is available online, although often for a fee. If you’d rather hear stories of heartbreak and happiness, you can choose an episode from the free Modern Love podcast.
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5. Experience the highs and lows of Reddit
Misery loves company, and the best place to find it is on Reddit. For those who are desperate to hate love, r/ForeverAlone is the place to go. But if you’re looking for more uplifting posts, try r/LoveStories or r/Love, where strangers’ stories of romance or redemption might move you to tears.
Image source: IMissMyCafe.com/@ifthencreate
6. Work in a virtual cafe
Want to avoid couples on the street? Visit a cafe from the comfort of your home, with the website simulating the sounds of a bustling cafe. In I Miss My Cafe, you can control the volume of eight sounds, including the voices of other customers, the clinking of ceramic cups, the sound of rain, and the crackle of the fireplace. Or more specifically Coffitivity, which provides the sounds of a campus cafe or lunchtime rush.
Miss the office? Then the “I miss the office” sounds are for you. After work, hang out with the locals at I Miss My Bar.
7. Talk to someone anonymously about your feelings, 24/7
Feelings can sneak up on you, so even if you think you’re happy with your Valentine’s Day, it’s good to know you have someone around you to talk to if things don’t go as planned.
7Cups offers anonymous and completely free virtual chat rooms where you can get support from trained volunteers at any time of the day. As their website points out, “Being heard is an essential part of being human… We may appear to be strangers, but at heart we are just friends you haven’t met yet.”
Visit 7cups.com and feel free to share your feelings or listen to what others have to say.
