While Valentine’s Day can be a special day for some, it can also be a depressing time for those who live alone or away from their loved ones. Maybe someone comes to mind — perhaps a friend from church, a neighbor, or an acquaintance from a class you take — who might be lonely this Valentine’s Day.
We’ve rounded up a list of ideas to help abate feelings of loneliness and isolation this Valentine’s Day:
Spend Time Together
There are limitless possibilities of things you can do to spend quality time with someone you care about, without breaking your wallet, including:
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Attend a workshop
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Make dinner or lunch
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Watch a movie
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Play a card game
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Exercise
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Arts and crafts, such as painting, sculpting, ceramics, or photography
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Volunteer
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Play golf
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Work in a garden
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Research your family history
No matter what you choose to do, human interaction is beneficial to your mental and emotional health. Specifically, human interaction decreases stress and anxiety levels, and dialogue has been shown to improve problem-solving. Even some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease can be reduced over time through plentiful socializing.
Deliver Treats
There’s something delightful about a surprise visit from an acquaintance bearing gifts. The following treats require a few simple ingredients and take less than an hour to make:
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Premade cookies—You can buy slabs of cookie dough at most grocery stores. Some of these have pre-cut lines that only need to be broken up and placed on a cookie sheet. Just preheat your oven and set your timer and you’re good to go!
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Brownies— Requiring water, vegetable oil and eggs, the most challenging part is just mixing it all together! To save yourself the trouble, you can also buy a disposable baking dish so you have one less pan to wash.
Communicate
According to an article by Forbes, the most personal forms of communication are face-to-face communication, video chats, and phone calls. Services such as Skype and FaceTime are both free video chat services that allow you to chat one-on-one with your loved one from anywhere in the world.
Granted, you’ll need a computer with a webcam and microphone enabled in order to use video chat. Most tablets, smartphones, or laptops will have these built in, but you might have to acquire some peripherals if your loved one is using an old desktop computer. Visit your local electronics store and consult a representative for help.
Serve Your Community
Studies have shown that when you do things like donate your time or money to someone in need, the portion of your brain responsible for triggering feelings of reward lights up. This isn’t the only positive side effect of helping, either.
Here is a list of other important benefits of giving back:
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Builds the relationship with the person being served
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Increases your confidence and optimism
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Increases your sense of b
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Increases feelings of gratitude and inner peace
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Provides a sense of renewal
Remember, You’re Never Home Alone
In the case of an emergency, you are never alone with a medical alert device. With a simple press of a button, you will:
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Be connected to one of our monitoring centers within moments
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Speak with one of our highly- certified operators to help you determine which type of service you need
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Receive immediate help– whether you request emergency services or an emergency contact, help is on the way
