Being unemployed in a global pandemic has caused a number of significant problems for me. The obvious one being the fact that I didn’t have enough money to live. So now that I’m back in employment and I have extra cash to spare, I’ve begun to notice that I’m struggling with spending money on myself. 

I’ve always been that person who likes to go for a long shopping trip and the girl who gets excited when a delivery is on its way. I used to spend more money on myself than I would want to admit. But now, I find myself pondering over the luxuries for longer than I’d like. 

My mind constantly tells me that it’s not a necessity and I really don’t need it. And on the outside, maybe I don’t. But there’s one thing that I know I need to remember. If it’s going to make me happy, so what?

 

Luxuries are Essential

Remember in the first UK lockdown when we weren’t allowed to leave our house unless we were going for an essential shop or to exercise once a day? Well, I think that mindset of ‘we must do what we’re told’ has definitely held onto me. I’m still thinking that I’m not allowed to treat myself while others are suffering. 

But no, no, no. By not treating myself, I’m depriving myself of self love and spending money on myself because those little treats are necessary to help our minds and bodies. 

Think about your physical daily routine. We could probably wash every day with water and live normally every day. We need to wash to keep our bodies clean and to prevent any dirt and bacteria harming our bodies. However, we use soap to properly cleanse our bodies and to further help with washing. We then moisturise (or we should), put on deodorant, cut our nails, put on SPF, use lip balm etc. to enhance the way our bodies function. 

We might think moisturising and using lip balm is a luxury. However, these small things are essential for our minds to know that we’re properly looking after ourselves. And what do we need to do to access these luxuries? Spend money on ourselves. 

 

Spending Money on Yourself is NOT A CRIME

Like I said before, I’m trying to work on telling myself that it’s okay to spend money. I don’t need to hoard it ‘just in case’ but I do need to manage it wisely. 

I’m definitely not advising you to drown yourself in debt trying to buy every last thing that you want and need. I’m trying to tell you that a little pampering can really help to give yourself some much needed self love. And you shouldn’t be ashamed of wanting to spend money to do this.

I think that we already live in a very judgemental world these days. And the fear of being judged and in the wrong can stop us from doing a lot of things. 

The pandemic has brought a lot of us back down to earth and shown us the true meaning of life and looking after each other. But I think it’s left a lot of people thinking ‘others have it worse than me so I can’t feel this way,’ which leads to self neglect. 

Yes, there are so many free ways to show yourself some self love. I practice a lot of methods every single day without spending a dime. However, a couple of times a week, I allow myself to indulge a little and bat away those negative thoughts away telling me that I shouldn’t do it. 

 

Unemployment vs Employment

A lot of things I’ve already spoken about are easier said than done. I know that. Don’t think I’m living in the clouds. Because I’ve been there. I’ve had that physical barrier of money (or lack of) that prevented me from spending money to care for myself. 

This is part of the reason why I’m writing this post. Because even though I was struggling, I still allowed myself to indulge just that little bit each month. Yes, I felt guilty but it was necessary. If I didn’t, I felt like I would go insane. It could have been something as small as spending money to repot a plant or buying some nice chocolate in the weekly shop. We can all afford to love ourselves a little bit more, despite the physical and financial barriers. 

Speaking now, even when I’m back in employment, I still struggle a little with parting with some of my money. Yes, I still look for bargains because I think that’s sensible. But I also have to talk myself out of checking my bank balance every hour or so to make sure I’ve actually got some money there. It was an everyday worry for me that I’ve found difficult to fall out of. 

However, I still know how important it is to spend a bit of extra cash on myself. Not just for those direct luxuries like moisturiser and lip balm, but also repotting that plant that makes me happy or buying a new gorgeous notebook that I can scribble in. I’m still spending money on the things that keep me happy and sane. 

 

And so should you! Don’t feel guilty for being happy.