Okay, so I know the semester has just started, but it can’t only be me who already feels a little in over her head. After a long day of classes, clubs, and craziness there’s nothing better than taking a little bit of time for yourself or buying yourself something nice. I use this to motivate me throughout the day. I just sit there in class thinking, “Okay, after I study really hard for a while, I can go home and do a facemask or online shop.” And sometimes treating yo-self can feel unhealthy (like the holy grail of rewards: ice cream), but it doesn’t have to! Here’s my five favorite ways to treat yourself and still be healthy.
1. Kombucha
You wouldn’t believe the amount of times I have to explain what kombucha is because I talk about it so much. But for all of you non-hipsters, kombucha is a fermented tea drink that is naturally sparkling and has tons of probiotics (good bacteria to help your gut!). It comes in a multitude of different flavors and costs less than $3.00 per bottle. For me, special drinks are such a fun way to treat myself without going crazy with calories and sugar.
2. Halo Top Ice Cream
Photo Courtesy of Farcia Yang
I had heard of this ice cream, but didn’t believe the hype until I looked at the nutrition facts label last week at the grocery. It has one fourth of the calories of normal ice cream! I know, too good to be true, right? It comes in lots of flavors too like Sea Salt Caramel, Caramel Macchiato, and Cinnamon Roll. Plus I can’t get enough of this totally instagrammable pastel packaging.
3. Flowers
There’s nothing that makes me happier than walking into a clean room with flowers on a vase on my desk. This is one of my favorite ways to reward myself (or my friends) for working hard, doing well on a test, or just because. I usually go to Kroger, and the flowers there are pretty cheap and last a long time. I got some eucalyptus leaves, and they lasted for at least two weeks.
4. Face masks
Though this may be insanely basic, it’s still one of my favorite ways to relax after a long, stressful week. Now I’m talking more than just the home-made ones that you used to make when you were a kid like with banana and honey. Ew. I’m talking fun sheet masks, bubble masks, or the social media-famous black peel off mask.
5. Coffee
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Okay, I know I said this about some of the others, but this is for real my favorite way to treat myself. But since we’re being healthy, get your favorite latte with sugar-free syrup and skim milk. It will taste exactly the same and be so much healthier. Or if you’re making your coffee at home, use an artificial sweetener.
Just remember that life is about balance, so go ahead and treat yourself!