Rewards
Rewarding yourself is important as it can help keep you going towards reaching a goal. It is also an opportunity to have a break, remind yourself of the good things in life (such as eating your favourite snack or watching your favourite TV show!) and be proud of what you have achieved so far.
Rewards can also be a regular part of your routine, giving you something to look forward to. They don’t necessarily have to cost money - taking time out in your day that is just for you, such as watching your favourite movie or going on a little walk, can keep you motivated during a difficult time.
It is important to remember that at those times when you feel like you don’t deserve any rewards, that’s often when you deserve them the most.
What young people have told us:
'Rewarding myself with my favourite chocolate bar and watching my favourite film helped me to unwind and foget about the other everyday challenges or stresses I face in life. It gave me a sense of self-satisfaction. It made me think about the fact that it's good to be kind to yoursefl every now and then.'
'Make time for the little pleasures in life. Set aside some time to be kind to yourself, to reward yourself. It'll leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed.'
There isn’t much academic research in the area of self-care for young people who are living with mental health issues. We are trying to find out more about what works for different people so we can better advise other young people what to try.
If you’ve tried this activity when you were struggling in relation to your mental health, please let us know if it helped you and how by clicking on the ‘Did this activity help you’ button.