Indulgence

Financial experts advise people to pay themselves first. I took this phrase and applied it beyond my savings account. Being selfless is a noble quality, but you can’t always put others ahead of you. Sometimes you have to be selfish. How can you take care of others well if you don’t take care of yourself first?

For me an indulgence is anything that feeds, strengthens, and/or comforts my mind, body, and spirit. What started out as simply doing more things to pamper myself turned into beginning habits to enrich my overall health.

Mind

I indulged my creative side. From January to September 2010, I read Julia Cameron’s The Complete Artist’s Way: Creativity As a Spiritual Practice. Three habits Cameron encourages individuals to form are Morning Pages, Weekly Walks, and Artist Dates.

Morning Pages consists of journal writing, preferably when you first wake. Sometimes I wrote in my journal later in the day, but no matter what time I did them, it was cathartic to dump my thoughts out onto paper. At least once a week, I took a walk to clear my head and connect with my surroundings. I also took myself out on dates. Whether I went window shopping, saw a movie, read in a café, or attended an art exhibit, the point was to use the alone time to truly savor the experience and become more in tune with myself. My Artist Dates reinforced the idea that life is about enjoying the small things, and I don’t always need a ‘plus one’ to make that happen.

I also worked on various art projects, primarily collages and photography, and I wrote more poetry, even publishing one in a literary magazine. In addition to the creative, I made sure to also focus on the informative. I made it a habit to watch at least a half hour of local news and one hour of national and world news each weekday.

Body

New foods/restaurants: I wanted to try at least 30 new things/places, and ended up trying 61. Among my discoveries were orange cream cupcakes at my new favorite cupcake place Frosted Cupcakery, the most amazing mac and cheese ever at Mac and Cheeza (baby mac chorizo with spinach and spicy walnut topping), and the red velvet waffle w/ cream cheese at The Waffle. In New York, I had the famous Papaya Dog, Junior’s cheesecake, and of course ate in Little Italy and Chinatown for authentic Italian and Chinese.
New drinks: I tried 23 new wines, liquors, and even beer (mostly wines). I’m not a beer drinker, but I discovered I like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat at Dillon’s Irish Pub. I also discovered a love for red wine. A few years ago, I wasn’t that into wine unless it was dessert wine, but I became accustomed to it. While I’m far from an oenophile, I enjoy it so much now that sometimes I even crave it and look forward to getting some after a long day at work. I tried wines of various prices. The more expensive wines were generally better, but I found some cheap ones that were good ($4.99-$9.99).
A detox/cleanse: I tried a week-long detox supplement after the new year.
Brazilian Blowout: I tried the Japanese Yuko straightening system a few years before and heard the Brazilian Blowout was less damaging.
Cut and dyed my hair: 2007 was the last time I dyed my hair and also probably the last time I cut it. That year I had the Yuko system done on my hair, and during the three years I had it straight, I didn’t do anything with my color to lessen the processing damage. I cut my hair first (it went from my butt to just below the shoulders) and a few weeks later dyed it a reddish brown (pic is right after haircut).
Laser hair removal: I’m not sure if this should count as an indulgence because of how painful it was. I had three sessions done on my upper lip from November 2010 through January 2011. Since my research said that the procedure is relatively painless (like a light shock), and my tolerance for pain is towards the higher end, I thought it’d be no big deal. WRONG – it hurt like a $#@*!!! The procedure lasted less than five minutes, but it was more painful than getting my tattoos. Thankfully my eyes were closed, and I had to wear special goggles to protect my eyes, or the doctor would’ve seen my eyes water. With each zap (and I got 25 zaps each session), I wanted to (and thankfully didn’t) whimper out loud. More than the shock, it was the heat that bothered me. The doctor told me the darker the hair, the hotter the laser. Throughout the procedure I wondered how women could get their arms, legs, and even bikini lines done.
Get at least one night of 8 hours sleep a week (since I usually get 5-6 hours)
Have a Clean Day once a week: The opposite of a cheat day, in which I try to eat as close to a vegan (or vegetarian) as possible – no fake, processed, fried, or sugary foods.
Eat at least one salad w/ a fruit for dessert once a week (as opposed to once every 2-4 weeks) in addition to my clean day
Have a dessert for a meal once a week
Have a Crap Day once a month: Indulge in junk/fast food and regular sodas all day without counting calories or worrying about working out
Go to the spa at least once a month
Perform at home spa treatments at least once a week

Spirit

Buy the “Good Stuff”: I like to try various health and beauty products, but I often stick to my usual drugstore brands since I rarely wear make-up and am low-maintenance when it comes to my beauty routine. For this project, I decided to splurge on the more expensive brands. I bought a three month supply of Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty (from eBay because I didn’t want the membership) and went on a Sephora shopping spree for Smashbox make-up, Pacifica lotions and body washes, and $30 shampoo/conditioner. The “Good Stuff” lived up to their name. My hair and skin appeared better, but more importantly, it felt nice having the good stuff as the standard instead of a special luxury.
Another tattoo: I got my fourth and most meaningful tattoo. It’s an ambigram on my right wrist that says ‘salamat’ (thank you in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines) one way, and ‘grateful’ another.
Meditate at least once a week
Reach out to my family and best friend once a week: Since we’re all busy and don’t often talk, I try to text them to let them know I love them and I’m alive.
Don’t let chores pile up: Wash dishes within 12 hrs and put up clothes within 24 hours.
Let go of any anger or frustrations quicker: Venting and dwelling not to exceed 2 hours.
Have a Purge Day once a month: Go through the fridge, cupboards, closet, etc. to see what I can toss, give to someone else, or donate to charity.
Be an early bird once a week: Get up before 8am to catch up and/or get ahead on my ‘To Do’ list
Organize/participate in a girls’ night at least once a month
Buy fresh flowers for my place once a week
“Fab Errands” once a month: Dress up/look nice to do errands.
“Me Gift” once a month: Buy something I don’t need but want.
“Veg Night” once a month: I’m always multi-tasking. When I watch TV, listen to music, or have a DVD on, I’m also on my laptop, working on something, or reading a book. That’s why it takes me forever to watch a foreign movie on my Netflix. It’s good to just sit/lie there and pay 100% attention to a show/movie/song or just do nothing at all and be content with my thoughts.