Day 14, Treat Yourself!: Self.com’s 14 Days to a Happier, Healthier You!

Author’s Note: Since Day 14’s task was completed well before Day 14 ended, I’ve decided to publish this blog post  dated as 10/26/12, even though the post was really published after midnight on 10/27/12. It was published after midnight due to unavoidable technical difficulties with my computer. 

Today is the last day of the 14 Days program! I can’t believe it’s been two weeks already.

But today’s post isn’t going to be some highlight reel of the past 14 days. No, I’m saving that for the post-project write-up that I’ll be publishing on the blog a week from now. That way I can really assess how I’ve changed since doing the project, if I’ve changed; and give you even more details on how the project was done.

So today’s post is just like all of the other ones. It’s still business as usual here.

Day 14 was all about giving yourself an incentive to look forward to when you’re faced with a difficult, boring or just plain dreadful task.

Now, I like where I work. I get to be around books all day and I get to work with really fun and genuinely nice people. The only thing I don’t like is the drive to and from there. It’s not a complicated route but where I work is located on a highway that pretty much everyone and their mamas in the tri-city area uses. So there’s often traffic, accidents, construction and people that terrify me with how they drive. It can be stressful, yes. But even before today’s task, I’d learned to treat myself on my commute home. Usually my treat of choice is a frappuccino at Starbucks. But today I went for something different.

It’s been a long week and it was Day 14 after all, so I decided to get a sandwich from Jimmy John’s instead. It doesn’t sound like much. But I love their sandwiches and today I even sprang for one of their bigger clubs. It was the perfect treat after a rough commute home. And then I treated myself again to a nice long, nap after I got home and inhaled that sandwich.

And actually now, after the nap and the sandwich, about half of the anxiety I felt about the drive home has pretty much melted away. The drive doesn’t seem quite as bad and I can focus on more important things like my job, this blog and my friends and family.

And for those foodies out there: I ordered a Beach Club. It’s basically a giant turkey sandwich with provolone and an avocado spread on French bread. I usually ask that they leave out the tomatoes because I think it makes the bread soggy. And soggy bread is not a treat. That’s a culinary punishment.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think. I’d love to hear your opinions, questions and stories!

I’d also like to thank SELF Magazine for posting the article, “14 Days to a Happier, Healthier You!” , which inspired this blog post and my completion of the 14 Days project.

Thanks so much for following along for the past two weeks (and hopefully for any future posts) and I hope you all have a lovely  weekend!