oh go on…you know you want to
You may feel you’re ageing yourself if you admit to growing up hearing the expression “a little bit of what you fancy never hurt anyone”.
I know I did, and I look back now with a wry smile about how insightful my grandparents were, uttering those words which have now, like so many other old sayings, taken on a whole new deeper meaning in 21st Century Britain.
Because, as with so many throwaway remarks, the psychologists have got their hands on them and analysed them with a rich modern context.
Now, it would appear, treats are proven to be positively good for you and your mental health, not just a fun indulgence. They keep you on the straight and narrow when you might be tempted to stray from your goals and they keep you energised and motivated to keep on course. They keep us focused which, in turn, helps us create and hone good habits.
Win, win…
There’s enough angst in the world right now without us turning to wallow in our own failings. Our lives are dominated by the news, the world economy and the hardships attributed to it, a not so rosy outlook for the next 12 months at least, strikes upheaval, the ongoing cost of living crisis, spiralling mortgages and household bills…the list is seemingly endless.
On top of that is work – the apparent need to work harder to stand still, sometimes finding there is more due out than coming in to manage bills, credit card debt etc.
I’ve come to the conclusion that we all need a little bit of what we fancy as well.
In these times of undoubted austerity, it’s easy to get caught up in the atmosphere of punishment.
I’ve personally never been one to follow regimented diet programmes, counting this, weighing the other because however it’s dressed up, whatever the snappy slogan – it’s deprivation. And I’m sorry but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to point out that such a regime will always end up with cravings, thus defeating the object.
So I say go ahead and indulge. A few drinks, cheese and chocolate, cream cakes, a hot bath and other decadent things can actually do us good – that feel good factor – life can be a litany of torment otherwise.
Be kind to your body and mind. Book a theatre trip, enjoy a good dinner out, take that trip you keep promising yourself. Because if we are continually denying ourselves, we risk taking over unnecessary headspace thinking about what we’re missing when we could use that capacity and time it steals for much more productive activities.
I’m certainly not advocating anything in excess and take this opportunity to issue an appropriate warning too – be aware of the festive period of apparent free for all indulgence spilling over into the excuse of facing long cold winter nights and tumbling into the Easter get togethers, closely followed by the laid back summer break and so on. It can be a slippery slope…
To pinch another grandparent saying: Everything in moderation!
Life is quite tough enough right now that if we don’t indulge every now and then we are going to become a nation of right old sour pusses.
So before the fun police clamp down on us, go on, indulge…and raise a glass to wise old Granny who hit the nail on the head: a little bit of what you fancy really did never do anyone any harm.
If you haven’t turned wrinkly in a relaxing hot bath then you’re not doing it right!
