When stress is starting to pile on and deadlines are approaching, What do you do? Do you locate the nearest source of sugar and drown yourself in it? Do you compile a series of multiple tabs on your computers full of websites where you can blow some cash? Or maybe you run away and do all three! The last option seems to work for me for me the best.

Be prepared to receive a host of crazy looks at your tactics that some people just don't understand. It's okay though because you understand the concept of "treat yourself". Most people will tell you to treat yourself after you have completed the task you have set out to accomplish but why not do it before too? Incentives can seem so far away when stress and pressure start to blur everything around you. I tend to live by the saying "two is better than one". Give yourself two things... (two breaks...two cookies...two new pairs of jeans). One for "the before" and one for "the after".

The before is the difficult part... It's where you have to put in all the work, where you place all your emotions, talent, and energy. Rewarding yourself with something before can clear your mind and let you prepare for the task ahead of you. Even if only for a few hours, let your mind escape from all the building stress around you. I like to escape to concerts because the music and the unfamiliar faces around me uniting together make me so happy. I'm the type of person that will rearrange my whole schedule in order to see one of my favorite performers or go to any event that is going to bring me genuine joy and relief.

When the happiness seems to dwell because you have to return to reality get yourself psyched up for "the after". Remember the happiness you felt and use it as fuel to push you through all of the work you actually need to do. It's okay to run away and spend money for a while but it can only be temporary. You have to stay on your grind otherwise, you're really gonna be stressed out.

When it's all said and done you can treat yourself again and again and maybe even treat those around you because you shouldn't keep all the goodness to yourself. Whose to say what effect, sharing a little bit of happiness with someone else who is stressed might have on them. You don't always want to be alone and neither does anyone else, build each other up and bring others with you...there's enough happiness, jeans, ice cream and anything else that brings you contentment to go around.

Be good to yourself, be yourself, and be in the moment, but when the moment is a little rough it's okay to take a break because you SO DESERVE IT!