We all need treats from time to time, and treating yourself with paper is surely one of the best ways to treat yourself. Today I want to suggest 5 ways to treat yourself with paper, so that if you need that little boost, reward or relaxation, there’s something here for you.
I think my favourite thing about all things paper is how inexpensive it is and easy to use as a quick pick me up. It makes everything on this list accessible to many of us.
There are so many benefits of relaxing with paper, it’s shown to be good for you both mentally and physically. You don’t need anyone else for it, you don’t need to go anywhere to do it and it’s very much a ‘you do you’ thing as you do whatever you want to do, however you want to do it.
These are my five favourites, my go-to treats with paper.
Reading
This one has to be the first on the list as reading is by far my favourite way to treat myself, papery or otherwise.
There is nothing quite like browsing my shelves and choosing my next read. And then I am in another world, completely switching off and relaxing as I get to know new lives.
Libraries, swaps with friends, free audiobook trials and so on can all make this treat a free treat. Then there are plenty of ways to buy second hand, cheaper, books. I often pick them up in charity shops and I’ve bought quite a few from Vinted recently. The treat here can be as much in choosing books as it is in actually reading them.
In theory, reading is super cheap. Though there are some of us who are a little bit addicted to buying books, and then it might become a tad more expensive. But I’m admitting nothing!
Self Care Focus
Treat yourself with a little dedicated self care time.
You can set yourself up with a self care challenge, or perhaps use a checklist to ensure you are sprinkling little pick me ups into your days, every day.
This is a fun way of helping you with new habits or keeping you on track with dedicating time to living well.
I’m developing a range of self care printables at the moment, for this very purpose so pop over and grab some of those and get going on prioritising yourself.
Adult colouring
I recently wrote about the merits of colouring for wellbeing, as this one is a fun treat and it’s easy to combine with other treats.
You could pop your favourite film or music on and colour whilst you enjoy them.
Settling down with a cup of tea, your favourite film playing as you colour sounds like such a treat evening.
Letter writing
There’s something so relaxing about sitting down to read a friend’s newsy letter with a cuppa or pen one yourself.
This one works on so many levels.
You can enjoy getting together a few crafty stationery supplies for this hobby, you can have fun getting creative decorating envelopes, paper and extras, let your thoughts run as you share your news and then there’s the little happy hit you get when you receive snail mail.
If this one tempts you but you’re not sure where to begin, I shared start to pen pal in 3 easy steps recently.
Start a journal
Ah, the joy of choosing a notebook and giving it a special purpose. We’ve all been there.
The treat might be in buying a new notebook, selecting one you already have or simply settling down and getting started.
There are endless opportunities with this one as there are many different kinds of journals you can keep, then there’s the fun of getting creative if you’d like to do that too.
I shared journal tips for beginners here, and if you have a spare notebook lying around, you can start this one this very second. Have fun!
What are your favourite ways to treat yourself with paper?
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