Treating yourself out during your weekend off should be a habit. From simple things such as having a bubble bath at home to grander ones such as grabbing a meal from an exclusive brunch cafe in Singapore, you can give yourself a moment to decompress after a tough week. Other than savouring your time off, it is also important to savour your daily wins.
Small wins do not have to be life-changing; it is a matter of finding victory in moments. Its definition varies from one person to another. It could be you patting yourself in the back for eating healthy that day or cleaning the balcony of your apartment. It’s that singular, almost mundane, moment that makes you smile despite the things that didn’t go well.
Recognising those moments is important because sometimes, it’s easy to make yourself believe that you are living a static life. At the same time, mistakes tend to stick to your memory longer than success. While it is essential to notice your errors and find ways to address them, dwelling on them for too long can invalidate your worth as a person. Celebrating small wins will help you remember that you are doing great, that you’re on the right track. Progress can be a slow journey, but it’s a journey, nonetheless.
Here are small changes in your activities that will help you celebrate your small wins:
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Eat what makes you happy.
Indulging in food that makes you happy will feel like a reward. It instantly changes a bad day from a good one. Although it’s normal to feel like you don’t deserve that cup of gelato, keep in mind that there must be something on that day that you’re grateful for. Supper can serve as the time of the day that you look forward to the most—a great source of motivation. It will give you more reason to savour the food out of delight, not merely of need.
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Watch an episode of the TV show you haven’t been watching.
Another aspect that triggers guilt is slowing down and doing an activity outside of work. This includes something mundane like watching an episode of the TV show you haven’t watched because you don’t have the time. Allow your brain to absorb matters other than work. It will refresh your mind, making it ready to start again the following day. And there’s no better way to forget your troubles than to be absorbed in another person’s story. If you prefer to read, might as well reopen that book on your bedside table.
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Sleep earlier than usual.
If you have a reason to celebrate the day, no matter how small the reason is, you will feel happy and fulfilled. You will have more willingness to leave work in the office, so you can go home and rest. And when you feel like your day is spent well, you want to retain the momentum and end the night on a good note. Eventually, it will become a cycle: you will finally get the sleep you deserve; you will wake up feeling new, and you will perform better. Most importantly, do not feel bad if you find the need to recuperate.
Nowadays, people tend to equate their worth based on their performance at work. It is essential to remind yourself that your affiliation with your company does not define your entire being. You have the liberty to pronounce your winning moments.
