Treat yo’self

(For anyone who doesn’t know about the joy of treat yo’self, please do yourself a favour and watch Parks and Recreation. So. damn. funny.)
I realised the other day that I find it difficult to remember Life Before Kids. Heavens, I even find it difficult to remember life before two kids – or at least, before the pregnancy which started right around this time last year.

I know that I have always been very good at treating myself, and that it used to involve things like yoga classes and long, peaceful walks, and weekends away at the Buddhist Retreat Centre in Ixopo in KZN (one of my favourite places on earth). But in the absence of more than 20 minutes to myself a day (literally – no exaggeration) I find that treating myself, which is still essential for my happiness, often comes down to food.

Is this a mom thing or a health thing? I’m not sure.

But what I’ve noticed is that when I feel the need for a treat, while my thoughts often go to lying down with a book for half an hour (my best!), or going for a pedicure (which is becoming my thing), they just as often go to a chocolate ice-cream (yum) or a cup of tea and a piece of shortbread (double yum). Which, as you can imagine, is not the best version of treating for a Type 1 diabetic. Or for any of us, really.

Summer helps, because the abundance of fruit is so delicious that a peach or some berries feels just as much like a treat. But I’d love to know how other people treat themselves… Is it all food? Are we hardwired to reward ourselves with edibles? Or drinkables?

I’m going to try experimenting with healthier treats – a tub of delicious fruit yoghurt, a perfectly ripe mango – and see if I can break the chocolate and cheese habit. Watch this space…