12
Sep
When something good happens in your life and it’s time to celebrate, what do you think of first? 🤔 Maybe going out to dinner, drinks, or dessert? If so, that’s totally natural.
We’re programmed at a young age to associate foods with celebrations and rewards. It starts with going out for ice cream after a soccer game or picking the restaurant after a good report card. Then later you’re going out for drinks to celebrate a promotion or splurging on dessert because you’ve been working hard lately 🥂
And it’s not that these are necessarily bad things. But it can be a slippery slope when you reward yourself with food. Instead of viewing food as fuel for your body, it turns into a “guilty pleasure” or like you can only have certain foods at certain times.
A helpful way to maintain a healthy relationship with food is to not use food as a reward. And that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a celebratory meal ever again — we’re not about that all-or-nothing thinking! But it’s beneficial to keep food as fuel and find non-food ways to celebrate and reward yourself! 🎁
Okay, now that you’re ready to find some new ways to reward yourself, let’s brainstorm! We’re going to break down these non-food rewards into 3 categories: Treat Yourself, Wellness, and Social/Entertainment (and some subcategories 
). Let’s get started!
TREAT YOURSELF
This is exactly how it sounds – TREAT YOURSELF! Get that gadget you’ve been wanting or the outfit you’ve been eyeing 
You’ve worked hard, you deserve to give yourself a little present!
Shopping
You don’t need to spend a fortune, but if you would spend $50 on a meal out then you shouldn’t feel guilty about spending $50 on a new pair of shoes you’re going to wear everyday! And don’t forget to look for those discounts.
Fuel Your Goals
You’re knee-deep in your fitness/health goals and you’re feeling the momentum, so it’s only fitting that you’d want to reward yourself with something that will keep fueling your commitment!
🛀 Spa Day
Nothing beats a spa day. Kick back and take some time to pamper yourself – you deserve it!
WELLNESS
What do you need in this moment that will improve your physical or mental wellbeing? Wellness means different things to different people, so take some time to think about what it means for you!
Nature/Adventure
Getting outdoors is so good for your physical AND mental health. Go out and enjoy mother nature!
Chill Out
Are you a go-go-go-er? We see you, Queen. But you deserve a break; give yourself permission to press pause.
SOCIAL/ENTERTAINMENT
You deserve to do something fun! Whether that’s going out or staying in, do something that brings you joy.
Going Out
Are you wanting to go experience the world around you? Get out there and spread your wings, you social butterfly! 
Staying In
Is your social battery running a bit low? 
You can still have a fun night at home!
As you saw in the lists above, a good chunk of these ideas involve spending money. Buying things for yourself can sometimes feel unnecessary or uncomfortable, but we like to think about it like this… If you would spend $100 on a celebratory dinner without batting an eye, why not put that $100 to paying someone to clean your house? Or buy some new shoes? If you’re already going to spend that money, why not treat yourself?
However, if spending money doesn’t serve you, we hope this list also provided plenty of free/low-cost ways to reward all of your hard work 💕 The rewards you choose should both motivate and excite you, no matter what that ends up looking like!
What would you add to these lists?!
And what goals are you excited to celebrate with one of these rewards?
Zoila Reistetter
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