I’m going to be honest with you, life isn’t a walk in the park. People are mean, things are expensive, and sometimes it just really feels like the Big Man upstairs has got it out for you. Mom says I just need to focus on what’s important and take it one day at a time, but it’s so easy to get caught up in how hard my life seems to be, that I forget to appreciate the little things.

And sometimes it can get hard to just remember what those little things are that we can even appreciate. That’s why treating yourself is important. When you treat yourself, it helps remind you that there is a little bit of light even when everything else seems to be dark.

I give the credit for the idea of treating oneself to “Parks and Recreation.” (If y’all haven’t seen this comedic gold, stop reading right now and watch. I’m not kidding. It’s on Netflix, I’ll even let you use my account.) In the show, two of the characters dedicate one whole day a year where they spend their time doing things that only they want to do.

Of course, they all go above and beyond, but the idea, in general, is not a bad one. I think that everyone should have a little bit of this mentality. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, or even expensive, I just think that people should take a day off every now and then.

Call it a mental health day if you wish. Spend it with your besties, or spend it by yourself. Go buy a new outfit or go buy a $2 facemask from Walmart, or just take time for yourself at home. Take a bath instead of a shower, use that new body scrub you’ve been waiting to use, paint your nails, take the time to actually shave your legs (like actually shave them like where you don’t forget your knees.)

You’ll feel a lot better when you just put yourself first for once. Personally, I have had a bad couple of weeks, so I went out and bought a new pair of dope shoes, broke my diet for a hot fudge sundae, and ignored my responsibilities to just drive around town for an hour and a half. After that, I just felt happier. And lighter. I felt like maybe my problems weren’t as big as I once thought they were and yeah, maybe I can make it through this week just like my mom said. (That woman is so right more often than not, 15-year-old me would be SHOCKED).

My advice to you, if you’re anything like me, is to stop trying to make everyone else happy before you’re happy. You are the most important part of your life and your happiness matters. This starts with putting yourself first and doing the things that you really want to do. Eat that last cupcake, sign up for that spinning class, buy those earrings you’ve been eyeing, get your nails done, sleep in an extra 10 minutes. Just do something. No, it’s not going to make everything that’s wrong just disappear, but it is going to make it all just a little bit more bearable, I promise.