You just had one of those weeks that you swear was the worst of your life. Finally, it’s Friday and an ad on your Facebook newsfeed for 50% of that online store you love pops up. Go for it. First order has free shipping too. But why should you?
The phrase “treat yo’ self” is more or less a recent concept that gained popularity by its appearance on an episode of Parks and Recreation. Essentially it means, “reward yourself because you deserve to be loved by yourself too.” Whether you apply it after a bad day or just because you want to, it can be frowned upon as much as it is appreciated. Why do we deserve to treat ourselves? What even qualifies as something to treat ourselves with? Are there even qualifications? Should we even be questioning this? Is this concept of treating yourself helpful or just making us weak?
Personally, I sometimes feel like I need to really and truly validate why I deserve to treat myself whereas other people will just go forth and buy that special thing. This, however, brings up the question of what qualifies as a treat to ourselves. Most people would say it involves spending money on yourself; picking up your favorite food at the grocery store, buying that pair of shoes. But could it also include being less hard on yourself, taking a nap, giving yourself time to relax? That kind of stuff seems like it should just be a part of our lives, not some kind of reward. Contrarily, some would disagree not only with that being a part of life but also as it being a reward. It’s not uncommon for the Baby Boomer generation to look at the Millennials and Generation X and say that they’re too sensitive and cushioned. These two generations are known to have grown up being watched over by helicopter parents and being highly sensitive to social issues. Not only that but we’re considered to be lazy and get easily affected by having to do any amount of work. The Baby Boomer generation will tend to compare us to them, excluding the fact that times have changed and not all that comparable in certain aspects. They believe they had more hardships but took it with a grain of salt, walked uphill both ways, did all that without feeling like they deserve any reward. As someone who is within the Millennial generation, I can attest that we are put up against unrealistic expectations of what success equals and the amount of work we are burdened with through our years of schooling is enough to be unhealthy. Sure some of us are lazy and sheltered but so are people of other generations. We face hardships like everyone else did, but we also like to have some enjoyment in our lives because quite frankly, who doesn’t?
It’s ok if you wanna treat yourself, whether it’s with a nap, a milkshake, a candlelit bubble bath, a morning jog, a new flannel, six new lipsticks, a moment of relaxation at the end of the week, whatever it is, it’s valid. You may think you don’t deserve any kind of reward, but you probably do. You may think you shouldn’t deserve this because it should just be a part of your life, and even if that’s the case, give yourself this opportunity to make it a part of your life. I advise treating yourself in limited amounts since it won’t be a special thing anymore and it takes the meaning away. But go ahead. Treat yourself (in moderation). You deserve it.
