A letter to everyone who is single right now

Hi there. I understand how you might feel when you hear the question: "Are you seeing anyone?"

It can make you cringe or stir up a whirlwind of emotions, or worse, leave an unpleasant aftertaste. Just like bad wine. Except you don't have to justify yourself to a bottle of wine, while here you often have to smile sweetly and say: "I'm fine on my own. I don't need anyone."

But I know you might not actually believe that yourself. I didn't.

To you, being single is proof that you've been rejected and don't deserve to be loved. These negative emotions build up into an unpleasant lump in your throat that's hard to get rid of.

I can't speak as a single woman right now, but I know the pressure society puts on people who are single, and I understand you. Many people my age have families; some already have a child, or more than one, by 27. This is considered the "norm" that everyone is supposed to rush towards. In our culture, we don't put the person first; instead, we put their status first.

You can be the founder of a successful lingerie brand, but just one hint that you're single can turn the way people see you around 180 degrees.

Being single is seen as non-stop self-isolation, only not from a virus but from life itself. As if single people are missing out on something. That's not true.

I'd like to suggest you change the way you look at being single.

What if being alone is a gift? What if I told you that all the time you spend single is your chance to find what will define you as a person?

I'm not talking about business or anything material. Imagine how many books you'll be able to read, how many exhibitions and countries you'll be able to visit. Most importantly, you'll be able to do it on your own terms.

I hope I've managed to cheer you up. Now let's look at what you can do this Valentine's Day, or on any day you choose.

My list of guilty pleasures to feel better when you're sad (it's okay to be sad, don't even think about stressing over it).

• Get behind an imaginary wheel and drive through the streets of New York in winter, which I miss so much. And yes, you can do that on the website https://driveandlisten.herokuapp.com. By the way, I can't drive, so for me it's a special treat.

• Spend the whole day watching films and drinking wine. My recipe for success: white Gewürztraminer, salt and vinegar crisps, green olives and my all-time favourite series, "Big Little Lies". Sitting with a glass of wine and dreaming that one day I'll live on the coast in Monterey too, and I'll have a great friend like Reese Witherspoon.

• Treat yourself to a spa day. I only recently got interested in beauty treatments, but now I go often. I sincerely recommend the "Reload" treatment at a skin bar I love. The name fits, too: afterwards you feel as if you've been reborn.

• Go to your favourite coffee shop and have a delicious coffee. My absolute favourite is a coffee shop I love, and I rarely stray from my beloved flat white with cow's milk.