You Deserve a Little Treat #1

Go on, you know you do

One of the main reasons I wanted to start this newsletter was because I am one hundred percent certain that you, yes, you deserve a little treat. Life is hard! Things are tough! It might be raining! These are all good reasons for a miniature mood booster and if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s rationalizing self-gifting opportunities* and I would love to rationalize the same thing for you. Did I mention my nickname amongst one group of friends is The Enabler? Pleased to meet you.

There’s an awful lot of psychological research that I simply cannot and will not cite here (because I haven’t actually read it) to support the theory that giving yourself a tiny present can improve your overall mood and wellbeing and therefore your actual health, which means buying yourself treats mean you will live longer! Probably. I mean, Dale Cooper said you should give yourself a present every day and he’s an FBI agent. Admittedly only on television but still, I’d listen to him. But why do treats make us feel great? Is it the boost of dopamine you get when you press add to cart? Is it catering to your inner child or mining your memories of birthday and Christmas gifts for joy? Are you deflecting the horrors of reality by purchasing stuff you don’t need?
Don’t know.
Don’t care.

Gifting is my love language and as Whitney said, the greatest love of all is the love is the love you have for yourself. She also said something about the children being the future but don’t worry about that because this isn’t about them, it’s about YOU and what YOU deserve. Buying gifts for other people is awesome but so many of us forget to take care of ourselves. Stopping by Starbucks and picking up a Ghost Frap isn’t going to fix everything that might be wrong in your life but it certainly can’t hurt to do something that is exclusively only for you. The world won’t end, trust me.

Now, the concept of a ‘little’ treat is always going to be subjective - one person’s big is another person’s tiny. The kind of human that buys themself a rocket to fly into space for larks might shirk from spending $15 on a lip balm whereas someone who definitely doesn’t make $40 million a year might consider the Liberty advent calendar a very sensible gift to self. Please keep that almost-logic in mind when reading this newsletter. One week my recommendation might be a chocolate bar, another week it could be a pair of PJs, a TV show I think you’ll love or a book you should definitely read. Some of the links included will be affiliate links meaning I get a share of the purchase price of the item but let’s be honest with each other, I’m too lazy to work out how sign up for these things, so most of the time they won’t be.

Speaking of books, let’s start there. I have three titles that would make spectacular little treats this week - The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson and The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling. Beth’s book is a warm and fuzzy romcom set in an English countryside hotel around the festive season and it will fill your heart with joy. Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is for all my Halloween-loving friends; a contemporary fantasy novel about four witch friends in the north of England and if you loved Buffy or The Craft, or ever wrote a boy’s name on a piece of paper then burned it by the flame of a scented candle, this book is for you. The Ex Hex combines the best of both words, a very sexy and very funny romcom with witches and black cats, and I’ve taken to reading it (and its sequel, The Kiss Curse) every spooky season.

So go forth, my friends, and pick up that thing you’ve been thinking about. As long as you don’t have to go into debt or miss paying a bill to buy it, there’s no need to feel guilty about treating yourself to a new nail polish or a chocolate chip cookie or a bottle of bubble bath. And if anyone tries to argue with you, send them to me. I’ll probably turn the lights out and close the curtains until they’re gone but at least they’ll be off your back.

*spoiler alert, treats don’t need to be rationalized, you deserve them. We deserve them.