How to reward yourself without using food or alcohol

One common way we reward ourselves is with food:

• I’ve spent ages cleaning the kitchen/ doing my tax return/being patient with my mum, so I deserve a little reward. I think I’ll have a bar of chocolate.
• Now that I’ve joined the gym, I can have a cake.

This is fine occasionally. If you do it regularly, your weight is likely to increase and your health suffer from these high-calorie, unhealthy foods.

Some people reward themselves with alcohol:

• I’ve had a hard day at work, so I’ll open a bottle of wine (or two).
• My health problems are really getting me down, a large gin will cheer me up.
• I’ve finally tidied up the house, so now I can chill out with some beer.

Occasionally this is fine, but it can turn from an occasional thing to a dependence on alcohol. Learn more about the side effects of alcohol.

Rewarding ourselves can be an important part of doing things successfully. It’s good to celebrate achieving goals, and important markers along the way to our biggest goals.

Rewarding yourself can be quite subtle

Research by Uma R. Karmarkar (Harvard University, USA) and Bryan Bollinger (Duke University, USA) showed:

“Grocery store shoppers who bring their own bags are more likely to purchase organic produce and other healthy food. But those same shoppers often feel virtuous, because they are acting in an environmentally responsible way. That feeling easily persuades them that, because they are being good to the environment, they should treat themselves to cookies or potato chips or some other product with lots of fat, salt, or sugar.”

You should still take bags with you when you go shopping, just be aware that doing that doesn’t justify that extra snack purchase.

I’ve included this rather bizarre research finding because it highlights a recurring theme of research. You are “good” and so you “reward” yourself with the type of food that is going to make you feel far from good in the long run. Of course, an occasional treat is fine.

Some alternative ways to reward yourself

Here are 30 ways to reward yourself that don’t involve food or alcohol:

1. Listen to the whole of a favourite music album without doing anything else at the same time.
2. Buy some fruit or vegetables that you wouldn’t normally buy because they are too expensive.
3. Buy something small that you’ve always wanted.
4. Relax in the park or at the beach.
5. Visit a local museum or art gallery.
6. See a movie.
7. Meet up with a friend you really like but haven’t seen for a while.
8. Binge-watch a whole series.
9. Extra cuddle time with someone you love.
10. Go someplace you’ve never been before.
11. Search for new music.
12. Indulge in a guilty pleasure, such as watching some trashy tv or reading a gossip magazine.
13. Schedule a beauty session.
14. Make time for a hobby.
15. Take a nap.
16. Stay in your pyjamas all day.
17. Have a sauna.
18. Sit in the sun for a few minutes and soak up some vitamin D.
19. Have an hour without the internet.
20. Go look at the stars.
21. Use a taxi rather than public transport for one of your normal journeys.
22. Have a massage.
23. Play with your neighbour’s dog.
24. Buy yourself some flowers.
25. Add some essential oils to a bath and have a long, leisurely soak.
26. Watch something on YouTube that makes you laugh.
27. Listen to a feel-good playlist or your favourite podcast episode.
28. Treat yourself to a 5-minute stretching session.
29. Take a really leisurely stroll around your neighbourhood.
30. Take a scenic drive or walk in nature.