5 Ways to Reward Yourself Without Food
We’ve all experienced this moment - it’s Friday and it’s been a long, stressful week. We think, “I deserve to treat myself.” Often these treats take shape as food and drinks, usually indulgent items such as pizza, soda, candy, a bottle of wine, etc. We reach for something quick and easy that allows us to unwind.
While relaxing after a busy week is important, rewarding ourselves with food and drinks is a slippery slope. We cannot forget that Friday comes every week and as humans we often encounter stressful days, weeks and months. In addition, many comfort foods make us feel bloated and uncomfortably full. Over time, eating an unhealthy diet with excessive red meat, refined grains and soda is associated with developing depressive symptoms, as we explored in this month’s webinar.
Rewarding ourselves without food or drinks is a worthwhile skill. Here are some of our favorite things that allow us to decompress and say, “ahhhh.”
Indulge in self-care. Self-care means something different to all of us. It doesn’t need to be time-consuming or expensive.
Go to sleep 30 minutes earlier than your usual bedtime.
Try a DIY face mask. Mash a quarter of an avocado with a squirt of honey and a spoonful of plain yogurt. Spread the mixture on your face for a few minutes before rinsing. Be sure to enjoy the rest of the avocado in a delicious salmon salad.
Get moving! Exercise doesn’t need to be a hardcore boot camp class. Being active can take many forms and can even be fun.
Go on a brief walk and enjoy the sights and sounds of wherever you are. Take deep breaths of the fresh air.
Play tag, throw a football or shoot hoops with your kids, friends or nieces and nephews.
Entertain yourself. Whether you enjoy books, television, magazines, music, podcasts or sports games, allow yourself to tune out and be entertained.
True crime junkie? Download a free podcast or stream a documentary series for some eerie stories.
Go to a concert. Check out do NYC for free concerts happening every night.
Connect with a friend. We never regret making time to connect with people who are important to us.
Call a friend on your commute or at lunch. Plan time in advance and mark it on your calendar like you would schedule a work call.
Share your favorite books with friends by starting a virtual book club through Google Hangouts.
Be grateful. What are you grateful for? Take a moment to think about your blessings.
Write down a gratitude list. You can be thankful for small achievements like making it to an appointment on time. You can also appreciate something beautiful like a sunset.
Send a handwritten thank you note to a loved one. Acknowledging gratitude for someone in your life is meaningful to both parties.
By engaging in these activities, we shift our focus to rewards that improve our overall health. Using food as a reward is harmful because frequent occasions to treat ourselves snowball into unhealthy habits that have repercussions for our bodies and minds. Enjoy food and drinks but don’t let them control how you feel. When we relinquish the power of food and drinks as treats to make us feel better, we open up more space in our lives for positive health behaviors.
