Many of us experienced something similar to splurging on a long-sought-after product because the trash was finally taken out. What encapsulated this as a common experience was the popularization of the “just a little treat” mantra. It’s said frequently to justify doing or getting something for yourself after a minor accomplishment. Maybe you have the urge to go to Crumbl Cookie and spend almost $30 just because you went to class consecutively for 2 weeks.
It’ll just be a little treat for your hard work. The appeal of it is understandable. Since we’re out of primary school and don’t get pizza parties for our tiny milestones anymore, the only person who can fill that role is yourself.
Some people have trouble with rewarding themselves. Feelings of guilt can emerge as you could later believe the reason for the reward was unfounded or take self rewards as irresponsible decision making. Nicole Harris, a 20-year-old computer science undergraduate, has similar sentiments about rewarding herself.
“I forget to reward myself at times,” Harris said. “ I can only do it when I’m absolutely sure it’s needed though. If not, I feel… icky. So I only reward myself after a goal is completed because I don’t really see a reason to do otherwise.”
Contrasting to Harris, there are others who aren’t hesitant about giving themselves treats.
Winter Gieg is a 19-year-old freshman at SUNY Plattsburgh. With her new life away from home as she lives on campus, she makes it a point to know when a reward is in order. Gieg uses rewards to alleviate an abundance of negativity in her life.
“Bad days are usually my signal that I should do something to make myself feel better. I just need to distract myself or overpower the bad to be more productive,” Gieg said.
Gieg sees this need to distract or reward in many of life’s difficulties.
“It could be for whatever. A stressful exam or presentation. Maybe I had to do a lot of work to do one week,” Gieg said. “Once I agree to doing something nice for myself, I try to mix up what the reward could be. I could take the day off for whatever I choose, get sushi, go to Starbucks or get myself something small. Anything!”
Rizwana Fidal is a 20-year-old nursing student. She reminisced about a period when she utilized self rewarding the most her former position as a retail associate at JCPenney. After her shifts dealing with demanding customers, she cheered herself up the only way she knew how.
“I usually bought something I liked but sometimes I needed something more money couldn’t buy”. Fidal said, “I could revisit an interest I didn’t have time for before, watch a show, or catch up with friends.”
These pick-me-ups came only after she gauged the need for them.
“I knew I needed to reward myself after a really difficult or thankless task. If not, I might’ve gone insane,” Fidal said. “Everyone always came up to me with requests, and I was always on the go. It was so draining.”
Fidal views self rewarding as a tool that helped keep her afloat during that stressful time.
“Giving myself rewards helped me not burn out and gave me something else to look forward to, you know?” she said.
Fidal’s ending sentiment about how rewarding herself gave her “something else to look forward to” during a stressful period in her life captured the necessity and healing power behind self rewarding. Retail therapy seems to be a common method of those who subscribe to the “just a little treat” mantra but that isn’t the approach. Whatever activity you do to uplift yourself from time to time is just as important as anything else required of you.
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