- \n
- Don\u2019t hibernate or wait until February 13th to make a plan. Force yourself to be with other people, even if only briefly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Gather same sex friends and visit a \u201cfamily focused\u201d restaurant. Avoid ones that cater to couples or have romantic overtones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Look into a church or community support group. They often have fun activities planned.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Non-custodial parents: Bring your child a valentine or small, inexpensive gift that communicates your love.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Creativity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Think of new, fun things to do this year such as: making handmade heart-shaped decorations, pizza, cakes or cookies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Try something completely different. Go roller-skating, skiing, hiking, bowling, climb a mountain or a walk through a museum.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Immerse your family in assembling a model airplane, a Lego adventure, or a jigsaw puzzle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Have a potluck supper with each person bringing a favorite chocolate treat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Care<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Help your child\u2014or grandchild\u2014make a valentine for your ex-spouse or former in-laws. This communicates your permission for the child to love the other family, which greatly reduces his or her fear and tension.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Splurge on a cappuccino or box of Godiva chocolates\u2014for yourself!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Notice a married same-sex friend who may need encouragement or a hug. While others are receiving cards, gifts, and flowers, Valentine\u2019s Day may be a reminder of a spouse who is thoughtless, cruel or unloving.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Take a small gift to someone who is lonely or hurting such as: an exchange student, a widow or widower, an unmarried pregnant girl, someone out of work, an elderly neighbor, or a handicapped\/ homebound person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Considerate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Invite friends over for dinner and use the good linens and china.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Indulge yourself with cozy bed linens, a new nightgown, a massage or pedicure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Send a valentine or flowers to someone who has comforted and loved you. This day isn\u2019t solely for romantic love.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Calm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Try a new pillow or neck exercises. They work wonders for tension.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Make yourself a warm, comforting drink of hot cocoa or chai tea.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Get enough sunshine. Winter\u2019s shorter daylight hours can produce depression.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Exercise produces natural stress reducers, and it\u2019s a great way to meet new people. Many gyms have childcare available.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Calligraphy your favorite Bible verse (Suggestions: Deuteronomy 31:6 Philippians 4:6-8, 1 Peter 5:7) or try your hand at drawing or sculpting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Caution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Refrain from anesthetizing loneliness with drugs or alcohol. These chemicals can induce despair which often leads to a greater sense of isolation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Shun the temptation to frequent bars or use sex as a way to ease the pain. This decision often leads to disastrous long-term consequences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Avoid photographs, memorabilia, fragrances, restaurants or atmospheres which trigger nostalgic memories of \u201cwhat used to be.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Steer clear of movies that focus on weddings, people falling in love, adultery, or emotionally wounded children. Instead choose films with a lighthearted, fun plot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
And the last, but not least suggestion: Look to the true \u201cLover of your Soul\u201d Jesus, for comfort. He alone is the one who knows all of your pain, needs and desires. And He promises that He loves you with an everlasting love that will not change or fade (Jeremiah 31:3, Isaiah 55. He longs to lavish you with love, his passionate heart burns for you. (1 John 3:1, Zephaniah 3:17).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pray these suggestions help to make Valentine’s Day brighter. After all, any day with chocolate as the focus is something to smile about!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nNew to The Best-Life Project?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Please read these foundational posts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best Life Dream Story<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best-Life Definition<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read More from This Author:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Laura Petherbridge<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laura will be speaking here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/legacy_ad1-819x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCopyright \u00a9 2009 Laura Petherbridge. All rights reserved. Originally appeared at LauraPetherbridge.com. Used with permission<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n![\"woman](\"http:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/laura-petherbridge.webp\")
Laure Petherbridge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Laura Petherbridge is an international author and speaker who serves couples and single adults with topics on relationships, stepfamilies, singles, divorce prevention, and divorce recovery. She is the author of When \u201cI Do\u201d Becomes \u201cI Don\u2019t\u201d\u2014Practical Steps for Healing During Separation and Divorce, The Smart Stepmom, <\/em>co-authored with Ron Deal, and 101 Tips for The Smart Stepmom: Expert Advice From One Stepmom to Another. <\/em>Her website is www.TheSmartStepmom.com<\/a>. Watch her most recent broadcast with Family Life Blended<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I went through my divorce, Valentine\u2019s Day was one of the most dreaded days of the year. I hated it. The endless scenarios of people falling in love or frolicking on sunbaked beaches all confirmed that I was a failure. During that season of loss and grief my friends tried to tell me I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":2702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[299,217,202,14],"tags":[335],"class_list":["post-2701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-divorce","category-grief","category-holidays","category-transitions","tag-valentines-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2701"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2708,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2701\/revisions\/2708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}