Treat yourself to happiness

It can be easy to focus all of your time and attention on your career, family and friends. Working late, running errands, playing taxi driver, attending recitals, helping friends in their hour of need – can all take their toll on your energy and zest for life.  Too often, it’s easy to forget about the person who helps to keep all the plates spinning – you!   If you feel like you’re driving through life with the pedal pressed hard to the floor, ease up.  It’s time to put yourself first for a change and plan some special treats, just for you.

Our daily routines can sometimes seem relentless.  A never-ending to-do list is usually supported by an army of colleagues, family, friends and loved-ones all eager to add ‘just one more’ task. Pretty soon, you’ve switched to auto-pilot, and you end up spending most of your time servicing other people’s needs – driving here, meeting there, picking up and dropping off – sounds familiar right? You can become so absorbed in helping others that you forget to consider your own personal happiness.   Here are some ideas to put you back in touch with the most important person in your life – you!

Put yourself first on the to-do list

If you enjoy checking things off your to-do list, then here’s a great idea.  Add yourself to the list!  It may seem a little strange at first, but by adding a task that’s focused solely on you, you’re more likely to make time to take care of yourself.   It also helps you to mentally re-prioritize so that your happiness is included in your daily activities, rather than being subsumed by them.

It could be as simple as going for coffee and a slice of cake at your favorite local bakery or arranging to meet a friend for lunch.  You might decide to go for a walk or book tickets for the movie everyone’s been talking about – or buy a new book.  It doesn’t really matter, as long as the task is focused on bringing some happiness, positivity and personal enrichment to your life.  And the best thing is that you get to check it off your list at the end of the day – getting that extra sense of achievement, as well as the personal rewards that come from investing in your own happiness.

Indulge yourself

Organizing a ‘special treat’ is a wonderful way to nurture and care for yourself, helping you to smile from the inside out.  Sure – it can also feel a bit naughty and decadent, but you’re worth every cent!   Promise yourself that at least once every two months, you’ll plan a special treat, just for you. That’s six treats a year…which in my book is both realistic and necessary for sustained happiness.

Perhaps it’s a trip to your favorite hairdresser – or an appointment for a massage. It could be a reflexology session or a simple manicure.  It could be a weekend away with a sibling or an old friend – or signing up to an evening class – you know the one you’ve been promising to enroll on for months! Whatever you decide, think of it as a personal investment in your happiness.

We can only share our passion, commitment, support, energy and love successfully with others when we have enough reserves of our own. So, put your happiness first on the to-do list today!

What are you going to do for yourself every other month?

Debbie