Spell It: Why rewarding yourself is good for you
We learn that incentives can keep you focused, happier, and more likely to achieve goals
Do you often hesitate to treat yourself, thinking it might be too self-indulgent or selfish? It might be time to change that line of thinking.
Click start to play today’s Spell It, where we learn how giving yourself an ‘incentive’ can be rewarding in more than one way.
Depriving yourself can be a bad frame of mind if you’re working on establishing good habits, according to a December 2014 report in US-based psychology news website PsychCentral. When you do so, you might feel entitled at various points in the day, to get back into balance, by saying phrases like “I’ve earned this,” or “I deserve this”. Eventually, it might lead you to breaking your good habits.
By rewarding yourself, you ensure there’s a surge of dopamine in your body – a neurotransmitter that makes you feel happy and reinforces a specific behaviour as worthwhile. The more you do it, the more you want to do it. But according to US-based psychology news website BetterUp, you don’t have to worry about becoming addicted to rewards – it’s a way to train your mind to regard hard work as a reward in itself.
Here are some benefits to rewarding yourself more often:
1. Self-confidence
When your inner voice becomes more encouraging and positive, it leads to a boost in self-confidence. You’ll feel prouder and more excited by your efforts, leading you to remain consistent and persevere in the face of any obstacles.
2. Task finisher
When you know you have a reward ahead of you, you’ll be more inclined to complete tasks you’re working on. This means you’ll be less likely to procrastinate, and progress towards your goals at a steady pace.
3. Focused
Would you rather pick up your phone mid-task, and doom-scroll, or finish your work so you can put on a new K-beauty face mask and listen to your favourite true crime podcast? By rewarding yourself for a task completed, you can ensure you remain more focused, and improve your concentration.
Do you frequently reward yourself? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.