Time to celebrate ‘treat yo’ self’

There is not a student on this entire campus that can say this month of essays and exams has been a cheery one. In fact, for many it has been the most dreadful time trying to keep our sanity, energy and minds intact.

While it is something that we all suffer and endure together, it can’t be ignored that the stress and state of depression caused from academic deadlines tend to become quite tiresome.

And that’s just singling out academics. We forget that as humans, there are emotional things that happen outside our lectures that take a toll on us.

Friendship, relationships or family issues or just making sure you have enough clean underwear and food to get you through the week are enough to weigh down the heavy plate you are already dealing with.

In spite of the hectic times, procrastination has proven to become a wasteful yet valuable tool in order to get me through this mini and temporary hellhole. Upon my recent viewings of Parks and Recreation, a very wise and comedic man (Aziz Ansari) entered the screen and announced a phrase that I would immediately put into effect. That phrase was “Treat yo’ self!”.

“Treat yo’ self” is the day where you can do anything you want in order to make yourself happy. It’s the ultimate hall-pass for students dying to add some excitement and happiness to their stressed out work schedules. This half hour of procrastination added some valuable enlightenment on what needed to be done next, and it wasn’t going back to writing that essay.

Jumping out of bed, throwing on an outfit that was not an ensemble of sweat pants and a flannel shirt, I decided that it was time to put the laptop down and engage in my own version of “treat yo’ self”.

Before I knew it, I was waltzing around Uptown Waterloo with a hot cup of DAVIDsTEA, a bag full of delicious groceries and a box of gourmet cupcakes. I continued my “treat yo’ self” by curling up on the couch to watch old episodes of my guilty pleasure Gossip Girl (season one). If that wasn’t enough, the grand finale consisted of buying an outfit to wear to a holiday party in December.

While it is stressed that we must be balanced in making sure we save money and stay on track to make sure we get things done on time, the most important and valuable made up holiday is “treat yo’ self“ day. Giving yourself that opportunity to splurge, indulge and pamper yourself is crucial. How can you continue your work if you feel like a pile of crap?

This self-proclaimed and made up special holiday has been a blessing to my mental health and staying sane during this stressful time. While we all have our own baggage to carry for exam periods it is safe to acknowledge that no one should feel guilty for wanting to take time away from their textbooks to add some light and cheer to themselves.

We all deserve to be treated special once in a while despite whether or not we finished that paper or studied enough for that final exam.