Sweet Escapes: The Best 17 Treat Yourself Ideas

Welcome back, beautiful warrior. Today we are talking serious TLC…yes, I thought you might like that! So let’s get right into it and let me introduce you to the best 17 treat yourself ideas.

Actually, let’s make it 18 treat yourself ideas. Here is your bonus treat yourself idea: before you continue reading, prepare yourself a nice fancy coffee or another beverage of your choice, grab a couple of biscuits, and then let’s go. I am ready when you are.

Tell me…what makes you happy? I know this question can go very deep, but let’s keep it simple for now.

And when you keep it simple, it’s always the little things in life that make us happy. Right?

For example, putting on your favorite lipstick in the morning, getting a pumpkin-spiced latte on the way to work because it’s Friday (YAYYY!!!), preparing a healthy meal for yourself, joining a yoga class after work, etc.

These are the small pleasures aka little treats that warm our hearts, make us smile, and get us through the day.

But even though we know that these treats make us happy and are good for our mental well-being, it’s not always easy to give yourself permission to treat yourself.

I totally hear ya on this one! So, let’s dig a bit deeper here.

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When talking about treat yourself ideas, self-love is key.

Self-love meaning

Self-love means that you fully love and appreciate who you are as a person, with all your strengths, weaknesses, imperfections, and flaws.

When you practice self-love you value and respect yourself and you make your personal well-being a priority. In addition to this, you know that you are worthy of all your dreams and desires.

Meaning, you no longer need to give yourself permission to treat yourself. If you love yourself, you will treat yourself, as you know that you are the most important asset that you have and you also know that you are worth it.

If the subject of self-love resonates with you and you would like to dive deeper into this topic, make sure to check out my blog post 7 Powerful Ways How to Cultivate Self-Love.

Treat yourself meaning

Treating yourself means that you do something special for yourself. It’s about taking time for yourself to do something that makes you happy. See it as your own personal emotional happy hour.

This can be anything, it could be a gift, it could be an activity that you enjoy, it could be spending time with your best friend, etc.

Does treating yourself need to involve money? Not necessarily. There are many treat yourself ideas that are free, and of course, we will cover a few free treat yourself ideas in this blog post too.

But, I have to admit, sometimes it is nice to treat yourself with money too! We all work hard so why not spend some of that hard-earned money on yourself?

Do you need a reason to treat yourself? Absolutely not.

What are the benefits of treating yourself?

We already mentioned that treating yourself is good for your mental well-being. But let’s break this down a bit more in detail.

Benefits of treating yourself:

• Boost your mood – doing things that you enjoy can release endorphins; this will boost your happiness as well as positivity.
• Relieve stress – doing things that you enjoy, can help you to relax and hence will reduce stress and anxiety.
• Promotes self-care – treating yourself is a form of self-care and self-care boosts your emotional as well as mental well-being. Self-care is also self-love.
• Increase your productivity & focus – allowing yourself a break from time to time to do something that you enjoy can help you to gain new energy and boost your focus at the same time.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I would say, that these are four more really good reasons to support the 17 treat yourself ideas below.

17 treat yourself ideas

Below are the best 17 treat yourself ideas and as you will see, I split the 17 treat yourself ideas into 5 categories for you.

But of course, feel free to mix and match at any time. What happens in the Valentine’s Day category does not necessarily have to stay in that category only. It’s your choice, always!

Treat yourself ideas category 1: ways to treat yourself for free

As we already mentioned earlier in this blog post, treating yourself does not necessarily have to cost you any money. In this category, you will find treat yourself ideas that are completely free – YAYYY!

Go for a hike

Spending time in nature is always a great choice. We tend to forget that we are nature. Going back to where we are from always feels relaxing and rejuvenating. Prepare yourself a nice packed lunch, pick a route, get your hiking boots on, and off you go.

Try a free yoga class on YouTube

Movement is so important. It strengthens the body, boosts energy, it helps to sleep better, and most importantly, movement releases a lot of endorphins aka happiness.

Hop into something comfy, pick a yoga video on YouTube that resonates with you, and move that beautiful booty of yours.

If you would like to try one of my yoga videos, you can find them here. I would love to see you on the mat. Happy flowing.

Enjoy the sunset

Definitely one of my favorite treat yourself ideas. And the best thing is, it is completely free.

Sunsets are always somehow magical…no matter how stressful your day has been, the sunset literally washes away our stress and our worries. It allows us to relax, to release and let go, knowing that there is a fresh start waiting for us tomorrow.

Bring your tea, maybe your journal, or your favorite chill & relax playlist and head out to enjoy the sunset.

The best treat yourself ideas category 2: how to treat yourself at home

Below are some self-care ideas and self-love activities that you can easily create in the comfort of your own home. Get ready for these ways to treat yourself at home.

Treat yourself to a relaxing bubble bath

YAYYY! Dim the lights in your bathroom, maybe light a few candles, get your bath bubbles out, and enjoy a nice long soak! If you are in need of some new bath bubbles, personally I really like the STNTUS INNOVATIONS Bath Bombs. They are natural, handmade, and definitely fun to use. Enjoy!

If you feel like it, add a sheet face mask, bring your book, maybe put on some relaxing tunes in the background, etc.

Time to indulge, relax and rejuvenate.

Get your baking gloves on

Looking to try something new?

Get your baking gloves on and bake a cake, muffins, biscuits, etc. anything that you like. Indulge in the process, let it be sweet and your treats even sweeter.

And if you feel like sharing, gift a treat to a friend! Sweet treats are always a nice surprise, especially if they are homemade.

I LOVE biscuits or cookies, whatever you wanna call them. Check out 100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen and get ready to bring your cookie baking to the next level. This book offers beautiful imagery and AMAZING recipes to try.

Declutter your wardrobe

I know, at first, this might not sound like a treat but think about the after-effect and how amazing it will feel once you have completed the decluttering job.

A clean wardrobe is not only super rewarding, but it also means less time when you get dressed as now you actually have less choice and the things that you have left in your wardrobe are the ones that you actually like and feel comfortable with.

If you are ready to declutter your wardrobe/life check out my decluttering tips.

Listen to an audiobook

Make yourself a hot chocolate, a cup of tea, a smoothie, etc., and listen to an audiobook. This is a super easy and fun way to relax and you learn something at the same time.

The audiobook below is what I was recently listening to and I loved it. Maybe it speaks to you too.

Louise L. Hay: The Power is Within You

The best treat yourself ideas category 3: how to treat yourself on your birthday

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And now, let’s look at all the ways how to treat yourself on your birthday! 3, 2, 1, let’s go…

No birthday without a cake 

Go to your favorite bakery, get yourself a nice fluffy coffee, and yes, your favorite piece of cake.

Maybe bring a friend along, maybe bring your book, maybe bring your journal, do whatever you feel like, this is your day. So enjoy and celebrate yourself however it feels right for you.

Allow yourself some time to journal

You are the most important asset that you have and the most important relationship you will have in this lifetime is the relationship with yourself.

Journaling is a great way to look after your mental well-being. Gift yourself some time to reflect. Below are a few journal prompts to help you get started.

Journal Prompts:

• List three things that happened in the last year you are truly grateful for.
• Do you currently feel happy in your life?
• If you could change one thing instantly, what would it be?
• Does your life feel in alignment with you?
• How do your dreams and desires compare to your current life?
• Write down three goals you want to accomplish in the next year. Also, write down why you want this and outline how you will get there.
• …

Allow yourself to be honest with yourself. Let it flow and write down everything that comes up.

If you are looking to make journaling a regular habit, check out my blog post How to Start Journaling – The Ultimate Guide for Beginners to get your journaling journey on the road.

Send yourself some flowers

You have never sent yourself some flowers? Well, I would say it is about time then.

I LOVE the VLove® Forever Preserved Roses in a Box. Sometimes you can even get black roses, which would be my first choice 🖤.

Treat yourself to some flowers and include a little love letter/note to yourself listing three things that you love and appreciate about yourself. Deep love from your heart to your heart!

Get yourself a gift

Pick something you had your eye on for some time, something that makes you feel good, something that adds to your well-being and happiness.

Whatever this is for you, you know yourself best. In a way that’s the best part about this.

Celebrate yourself, celebrate being alive, celebrate your experience in this lifetime. You are a queen, treat yourself like one.

The best treat yourself ideas category 4: how to treat yourself at Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is definitely not the most fun day when you are single, but we have all been there and we all know that there are two options: ignore Valentine’s Day completely or f*** it and celebrate by yourself. Should you decide to go for option 2, below are some ideas on how to treat yourself at Valentine’s Day.

Netflix & chill with yourself

Hop into something comfy, switch off your phone, dim the lights in your living room, maybe light a few candles, or your fairy lights, get your comfy blanket, and start to relax on your couch.

Next: food. Order your favorite takeaway and hell yes, include a dessert, lean back, and watch a chick flick.

Home Spa night

Time to pamper yourself!

Indulge in some serious self-care beauty activities with this home spa kit. Pick your favorite scent, lean back, relax, and enjoy.

Finish your evening with a light and nourishing meal and enjoy an early night.

Treat yourself to a new coffee mug

I don’t know about you, but I think that the mug you drink your coffee from in the morning matters.

Mornings can be tough, especially during the cooler time of the year and sometimes it’s nice to have these little things that make you smile and instantly feel more comfortable such as a coffee mug.

Treat yourself to a new coffee mug with a motivational statement. Something that inspires you, something that makes you smile in the morning, something that gets you going.

The best treat yourself ideas category 5: how to treat yourself like a queen

And sometimes, you have to go full in…I totally get it, and YES! Below are three options for how to treat yourself with money.

Be a princess for a day…

…and treat yourself to a relaxing Spa day at your favorite Spa.

Book all your beauty treatments in advance so that you have it all lined up and have a beautiful relaxing day to look forward to.

To save on your spending, check for special offers, Spas always have days when they are less busy and they tend to offer these days out at a cheaper rate.

Get ready to relax, indulge and enjoy.

Gift yourself a city trip with yourself

Solo travel is the best! If you have never done it before, I would recommend giving this a try.

Why? Because you can go where you want, you can do what you want, you can design the day to your own liking, and simply enjoy exploring a new city.

Apart from that I truly believe that it is important to spend time with yourself. Take this time to get to know yourself better, explore more about what you like and what you don’t like, and maybe (if it feels right) challenge yourself with something you would usually not do.

Bring a book, maybe your journal, and enjoy quality time with yourself.

Go on a yoga retreat

If you are into yoga or self-development in general, there is no better treat than a yoga retreat.

A yoga retreat is an absolute bliss for the body on a physical level as well as a mental level. It is a way to press the reset button in your life and get a new perspective, new energy, and new motivation.

In addition to this, you are guaranteed to meet like-minded people and who knows, maybe you even make a new friend.

How to build treat yourself ideas into your budget

You work hard every day and as important as it is to think about the future and ensure that you are financially stable, you live now and now is all you got.

What helps though is to build treat yourself ideas into your budget. It’s a great reminder for yourself (because sometimes we do need a little nudge) and at the same time, you don’t feel bad about spending the money as it was planned for treat yourself ideas and activities right from the start.

A few years ago I started a monthly budget spending sheet to help me keep better track of my finances. The sheet included rent, extra costs (such as electricity, internet, etc.), tattoo savings, holiday savings, etc. and I also added a monthly self-care allowance for treat yourself ideas and activities.

Some months I would use it, others not, as there are treat yourself ideas for free too, but that only meant that the following month I would have double, which means a bigger treat. Whoop whoop!

Big bugs or not, it’s always good to know what you spend your money on and for me, this was an easy way to build treat yourself ideas into my budget to work with what I had available and also to potentially save up for a bigger treat that I had in mind.

It’s actually quite a fun way to do it, give it a try and see how it works out for yourself.

Questionnaire

How do I treat myself for a day off?

Why not make your day off a mini holiday? Head out for a hike, enjoy the sunset on the way home, and relax on your couch with Netflix takeout. Or go full out, and make it a Spa day. You can also turn the Spa day into a home spa day if you are looking at ways to treat yourself on a budget.

What’s the little thing you treat yourself with for an accomplishment?

How about you send yourself some flowers with a love note to yourself? Or treat yourself to a fancy coffee and a piece of cake in your favorite bakery.

How often do you treat yourself?

This totally depends on you and how often you would like to treat yourself. As we said earlier, make it your emotional happy hour. Do what nourishes you, brings you fun, inspires you, recharges you, etc. Most importantly have fun with it and don’t feel bad when you treat yourself. You deserve this so much more than you think. Keep that in mind.

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A little bit of self-care and self-love goes a long way! It has a huge impact on your physical health as well as your mental well-being. And if you are well physically and mentally, your life simply feels so much better!

And keep in mind, how you treat yourself shows the people around you how you want to be treated.

Out of all the 17 treat yourself ideas we just spoke about, what were your personal top 3 treat yourself ideas? Feel free to share them in the comments below, I would love to hear from you.

As always, thank you so much for your time and your space beautiful warrior.

If you enjoyed this blog post about The Best 17 Treat Yourself Ideas, you might also like:

• How to Cultivate Self-Love – Practical Tips for a Happier and Healthier You
• How to Set Healthy Boundaries in Relationships
• How to Start a Gratitude Journal

Until next week.

Stay wild,

Nicolle

Featured image: Photo by Emily Bauman on Unsplash