Singles Appreciation Day (or Singles Awareness Day) is observed annually on February 15 as an unofficial holiday for single individuals.
This celebration acts as a counterpart to Valentine's Day, honoring love in various forms such as self-love, family, and friendships.
Through conversations with experts, we see that Latinx patients and especially women struggle a lot with the expectations family & society place on relationships.
46.7% of female respondents between 18-34 find the biggest misconception about being single means that they are not fulfilled or happy, compared to 40.3% of total respondents.
Experts have noted a large portion of Latinx/Hispanic couples struggle to break the norms ingrained in them, especially when their wants are opposing.
62.1% of respondents encourage open conversations about personal choices within the Latino community to challenge and change societal attitudes towards being single.
If you mind yourself single this February, read up on tips from our relationship expert, Gabriela Reyes, LMFT.
Embrace your independence
It’s the little things we miss once we’re in a relationship that we forget to appreciate when we have them. You can come and go as you please without having to check in with anyone. You can flirt freely. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You can make decisions without checking in. Embrace it all.
Work on finding your balance.
It’s yours and only yours. Its individual. An a la carte balance, if you will. Some need yoga and breathwork, others need kickboxing, therapy and really loud music. Try them all out until you find what works for you.
Make time for laughter. Make space for tears.
Both deserve your attention. Find a nice balance.
Find the joy.
One big bed to yourself? Magical. You can enjoy getting to know someone new and the excitement of planning a future that may or may not happen. You can also find the things that bring you joy. Try new things. You can toss ‘em if you hate ‘em and repeat the ones you love.
Notice your internal narrative and work on making it better.
This is a huge one. The way we speak to ourselves can affect every aspect of our lives. Our reticular activating system (a bundle of nerves in our brain) is responsible for what we focus on based primarily on what we think of and what we tell ourselves. With that in mind, imagine all the good we’d focus on if we were purposeful about our thoughts.
Quiet the outside noise.
Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one – that doesn’t mean they all have to be shared. People always have something to say. Take advice and opinions with a grain of salt.
Read more.
Not only does it promote individuality but if done purposefully, the right book can make you feel intelligent, seen, sexy, hopeful, etc.
Spend time with the people that you leave feeling good/better.
The friends and family that make you laugh? The ones that build you up? The ones the support you no matter what? Hang out with them.
Pamper yourself
Self-explanatory. Get the massage, facial, hair cut, blow out, wax, etc. Treat yo self.
Love the person that you are.
Molding yourself into what you think a future partner will like is going to backfire every single time. You can’t find joy when you’re pretending to be something you’re not.
Be authentic on dating apps
If you open up Chispa App and you barely recognize your own profile, you’re doing it wrong. Use the photos that really make your personality show. The sexiest, most well-posed photos can be included but make sure to add the ones that show the other aspects of you that are just as important. Pick the questions that allow you to be yourself. Don’t pretend you like football if you think they score strikes instead of touchdowns.
Meet Gabriela Reyes, LMFT
Gabriela Reyes is a licensed therapist with over 12 years of experience as a specialist in couples, families, and individual patients. In addition to her outstanding clinical work, Gabriela is recognized as the relationship expert for Chispa, the leading dating app for Latino singles in the United States.