The Treat Yo Self Mindset
Dear readers, I have been thinking lately about the “treat yo self” mindset and I asked myself whether it’s really a good thing.
“Treat yo self” gained popularity from the television series Parks and Recreation, but has it gone too far?
My first issue is overconsumption. We have a bad day at work and buy ourselves a little treat on our way home. That’s not so bad, until suddenly we have to have a sweet treat after every minor inconvenience.
On the flip side, it is good to treat yourself after a victory of some kind. You finished a big project, got a promotion, or cleaned your house. You reward yourself for accomplishing a big task. Suddenly, every time you begrudgingly get through a day at work, you feel the need to reward yourself.
The overconsumption really started when companies, big and small, noticed the trend. “Treat yo self” appears on t-shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, etc. and places that sell the most popular “little treats,” like coffee shops and bakeries, took advantage of the trend.
“Treat yo self” is now a bunch of bad habits disguised as wellness. Not only do these little treats load our bodies with unnecessary sugar, but they only provide instant gratification. Neither of these things make us happy for very long. And then the regret and self-hatred kicks in.
While it is a wonderful thing to enjoy the small things in life, these little treats must be enjoyed in moderation.
What actually makes us happier is setting goals for the future. If we have a difficult task to do, we can’t avoid it forever and claim it’s all in the name of self-care.
There are times when we need to work hard and there are times when we need to rest. The important thing is to know when you actually need to rest vs. when you just don’t feel like doing work.
Of course, there are pitfalls to overworking yourself as well. I set goals for myself this year that I already feel like I’m failing at because of how often I need to rest. I’ve been picking up extra shifts at my job the past couple of weeks and I come home exhausted more often than not.
In fact, I’m shocked that I remembered I wanted to write this article (if you can call it that) when I got home from work tonight. Writing this is not getting me closer to any of my goals, but this is a nice change of pace from the work I’ve been doing.
Which reminds me, resting does not have to be sitting on the couch watching TV. There are times when I come home from work and know that I need to watch something that will make me laugh. There are other times when I feel like I need to be productive, but I’m tired. Those are the days I sit on the couch and write articles and poetry, or make silly videos for YouTube.
All that to say, being creative is a great outlet for a resting period where you still want to feel like you accomplished something. Sometimes all you need is a change of pace.
So, don’t let these greedy companies make a quick buck off you the next time you’re in the checkout line and see your favorite candy bar. Be skeptical the next time you see the phrase “treat yo self” plastered on something to get you to spend all of your hard-earned money.
In fact, treat yourself to a little extra money by depositing part of your next paycheck into your savings account. Treat yourself to learning a fun new skill, like knitting or cooking, which are my go-to creative outlets.
If you really are having a hard day and want something to get you through, get the iced coffee. Get the candy bar. Get the cookie. Once in a while, treating yourself is helpful and can help you stay motivated in certain cases, just be mindful about it!
I haven’t even scratched the surface of recreational drugs and how much they are pushed onto us and how that is an excuse for not dealing with our problems. But that’s an article for another day.
Until then, please take care of yourselves, dear readers. Love and respect yourselves enough to know when to buy yourself a little treat and when you don’t need it.
So, this turned out to be more of an opinion piece, but I did find some scholarly, peer-reviewed sources that I did read while writing this, so here you go:
Ramanathan, Suresh, & WIlliams, Patti. (2007, January 1). Immediate and Delayed Emotional Consequences of Indulgence: The Moderating Influence of Personality Type on Mixed Emotions. https://www.academia.edu/10817483/Immediate_and_Delayed_Emotional_Consequences_of_Indulgence_The_Moderating_Influence_of_Personality_Type_on_Mixed_Emotions
Mukhopadhyay, A., & Johar, G. V. (2009). Self-rewards for prior shopping restraint. business.columbia.edu. https://business.columbia.edu/sites/default/files-efs/pubfiles/4145/JCP%2008-0004%20Self-Reward%20final.pdf
I also read a few other articles similar to mine, but well-researched and articulated much better than this:
Weinberg, Lindsey. “When treating yourself is actually bad for you health.” HerCampus. 25 July 2018. https://www.hercampus.com/wellness/when-treating-yourself-actually-bad-your-health/
Schulman, Jill. “Real Self-Care Is Discipline, Not Comfort.” Psychology Today. 24 September 2025. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-of-bravery/202509/real-self-care-is-discipline-not-comfort