Coffee is considered by many to be a guilty pleasure for health reasons. Guilty pleasures are actually not bad habits to our own selves but are considered to be advisable to stop because they are normally things that are considered weird or unexpected. We enjoy doing them because they bring positive emotions and improve your well being.
1. Sleeping in late. This is my new norm since I started working. It just doesn’t feel right waking up before 8 in the AM on weekends, holidays or off-days. That brunch feels so right and calming. Sometimes I stay in bed the whole day and although sometimes it gives me anxiety being in bed while everyone else is out and about I must admit it also feels like a privilege at the same time.

2. Watching true crime and solving serial killer documentaries, podcasts or movies before answer is revealed. Itβs easy to spend hours watching outlandish things , but not quite as simple to explain these hobbies to your loved ones. I’m absorbed by true crime and I want to understand what drives them and the next possible action, what it is like being involved in that but you realize this isn’t justice to my mind at times due to tension and anxiety but well, I love spending hours watching and or listening to such.

3. Eating a gallon of ice cream. I understand indulging in a bunch of ice cream is a popular shameful delight but I cant compare it with the mood it strikes in me. Ice cream is an instant happy mood booster and the sugar in it tells me I can do all things without my past haunting me. I literally have zero stress after eating ice cream.

4. Listening to someone with an accent. That being just an example, I find it intriguing to listen and pronounce words in their original accents. I’ll be repeating after someone in silence as they talk to me and engage them more to just have them talking all through. “Iliwa chingu” in the very informal and impolite from my Korean friend gets me just happy and exited all through the chit chat.
5. Listening to a catchy song on repeat. This one! This weeks obsession is Taylor Swifts’, Anti-Hero. While playing songs on repeat for weeks might seem unusual to most people, some songs just grab my soul and threaten me if I don’t play loops of the same song and know every line, pitch and pauses in the song. I’m playing that song at work, while cooking, in the bathroom, on the road and as background sound while sleeping. I acknowledge the captivity that comes with it.
6. Online shopping. It’s very common to do online shopping in this century regardless of it still being considered unusual by other people but do you spend hours and effort researching products of your taste and price only to add them to cart but never purchase them? My peers tell me most online stuff do not give the satisfaction as the ones you get to physically choose and no I actually don’t understand them cause I’m hardly going to experience the outcome of online shopping.
7. Do I consider the cost of online food delivery? Despite paying too much to have a fast food which is considered unhealthy, there is convenience in pulling a list of nearby restaurants and by just a click someone comes knocking with your food is here greetings. Saving the time you spend to cook for an extra hour of sleep or one extra episode is something too.
8. Reading celebrity drama and reality shows. We all agree reality shows are not real it’s acting but there is fun in watching the drama build up and the different personalities reaction to everyday life. Its more fun when it’s a celebrity involved because already we have a certain perspective and expectations from them. So yes there is juice in their dramas especially those that aren’t for chasing clout.

9. Procrastinating. I have done a blog about how much I know about procrastination here https://wwwruthogutu.design.blog/2020/07/07/how-much-do-you-know-about-procrastination/ and I’d tell you I haven’t done a lot since then due to procrastination and I’ll admit that despite the panic, anxiety and fear that comes with it, I still postpone a lot with lots of excuses and funny justifications to my actions.
10. Drinking on a weeknight. I find it fun and more enjoyable when I’m drinking on odd days and odd hours like a Tuesday evening. I wouldn’t overdo it but just enough is differently good and makes me feel elated. I must admit this could be detrimental and I’m very cautious to not have a routine that accommodates this but after a very long day at work a glass of wine can do wonders.

11. Buying flowers for myself. Agreeably noted flowers are a sign of love received or sent from people we care about. Flowers brighten our days because the blossoming of a flower triggers the sense that something special is coming because it triggers dopamine. I love and appreciate receiving flowers but I don’t always wait for my loved ones to buy me flowers, it almost equally feels good when I get some for myself and so I don’t hesitate doing exactly that.
12. Overspending on beauty products and services. I haven’t gone to the extreme of cosmetic surgeries but when it’s about beauty, I have to get the best and I ignore the cost and time spent because I can’t be walking with a mediocre look or products. I either have it or I don’t.
13 Popping pimples is the last one I’ll mention and I just cannot explain it unless you also do it and so you do understand. I hope acne is not listening to me right now.
Prioritize your emotional and mental health by practicing self-care.Most of the times we fight to get rid of the guilty pleasures but I think its important to recognize that we are only human and guilt is normal. It is important to reflect on why you feel guilty and if it’s actually harmful to you and would greatly negatively affect your future, you might consider being moderate on the same or swap them with healthy ones. In the meantime enjoy the pleasure they bring about and combat shame associated with them as you work on yourself. The goal is self love and a rich life.
Always a pleasure knowing you stopped by,
Cheers.