There have been way too many incidents during my time in college when I’m chatting with my friends and we somehow end up talking about how incredibly stressed we are feeling. At college, we are endlessly bogged down with essays, tests, homework, and extracurricular activities. It is a vicious cycle – one where, once you finish your list of things to do, you gain a whole new list the next day. As college students, especially the hard-driven students who can’t seem to catch a break, I believe we forget to spend time caring for ourselves and loving ourselves the way we should be. In order to help you find this time and find ways for you to enjoy you and only you, here is a small list on how to officially “treat yo self.”
1. Pick a “Me” Day
Knowing how much work you have, you have to set a day aside for your “me” day. Have most of your work done before your special day, in order for you to have as little to worry about as possible. Nothing kills a fun day when you have those lingering thoughts in your head of the work you pushed aside. Plus, you’ll feel more accomplished by finishing up your work! Without all those rough patches filling up your mind your day will turn out to be even more amazing than you planned.
Once you have all your work finished by this planned “due date,” then you’ll be able to choose how you’ll spend your day and what activity or activities you will do to celebrate you! Here’s some fun ideas to start you off!
2. Shop ‘Til You Drop
Grab some friends and head out to a mall you love! Shopping is seriously one of the best ways to treat yo self, especially because you have multiple choices laid out for you. Clothing, shoes, makeup, movies…it’s all there for you! Treat Yo Self day is all about dropping cash on the items you want, so whatever it is that will make you happy, you buy. Because it’s your day, why not spend the time to get a manicure or pedicure? Buy that mascara you’ve always wanted to try. \Get a pair of cheetah-print leggings at Forever 21, just to feel different, if not wicked cool for a day! \Drop that money on whatever you want!
For those of you who adore staying in to treat yourself, online shopping is just as fun! In its own way, online shopping is a fabulous win-win. You save the gas money and time to drive to the mall, plus you get to scroll through the entire store on their website right from your bed. It’s an amazing experience.
3. Dine Out (Or In!)
Everyone likes food, so I see no better way to treat yo self then by eating the food that you love. Go out to your favorite restaurant with some friends and eat that one meal you only eat once in a while because it’s so good. You can even attach this option to your shopping if you really wanted to indulge! The other fun option is to find your favorite foods, bring them back home, and eat to your heart’s content. Best to be around people who won’t judge you for the box of Oreos you’re consuming or the pizza you are mindlessly eating all day. Especially after a tiring or stressing week of school work, eating your favorite foods is always a brilliant way to treat yo self and love yo self.
4. Movie Night
Make Netflix your best friend. If you want a day completely dedicated to watching the five seasons of your favorite TV show or want to invite some friends over for a movie, both would make for a great treat yo self! Besides holding a marathon for your TV shows, it’s also incredibly fun to do this with a film series, whether you want to watch the magnificent Lord of the Rings trilogy or the funny drama of the High School Musical trilogy. If spending the entire day watching your favorite shows makes you the happiest, make pause points throughout your day to order Chinese takeout or bake some cookies to tide you over the rest of your marathon. For those of us who already procrastinate a lot, Movie Night is probably a great choice for you!
5. Hitting the City
This one may take some more effort to develop, but when you do, it is so worth it! Plan ahead to spend your treat yo self day in the city. Once you arrive, you literally have an entire city to give you anything that will give you happiness. You can easily spend your time walking aimlessly into each and every store, buying things that you have absolutely no need for, but you want anyway. Spend careless amounts of time in the city parks, taking pictures or taking up all the space on a park bench. Museums may be wicked boring to some, but if you’re a museum junkie, the city is the perfect place to hit up a science or art museum. With a group of people who are also coming with you to treat themselves, a day in the city could be the perfect way to celebrate this chosen day.
And remember, this is just a small list of ideas. It is your day and you can do anything you want that will make you happy! Just know that the goal of this day is to make yourself happy, do the things that make you smile, and above all…