Surprised at how much it seems to be helping!

I did the journaling path, and another path that I have forgotten; I believe it was the introductory path so to speak. I am currently on Rewarding Yourself for Change, and on the step where I am supposed to post. I will try to remember to follow up once I finish this one, as it is helping tremendously.

I created a token system, and color-coded tasks or behaviors and habits that I want to reward myself for, including long-term goals that will have bigger rewards such as meditating every day for a month, for at least 30 minutes. That one seems very difficult to me now, but I know I'll get there!

The tokens are for daily activities like making my bed, brushing my teeth, going to work, and finishing my whole shift, and they have a $0.25 cent value, so I don't overspend and have a way to make saving money easier. I'll sometimes use them in exchange for color-coded goal rewards if I've saved up enough, or use them day-to-day to earn things like Sodas and sugary treats, but some things like breakfast will just automatically have their own rewards, such as dark chocolate in the morning, which could help my mood as well.

I got a little obsessive about it, but it worked! I ended up being very very productive yesterday, catching up on things I'd been putting off like finding a psychiatrist and therapist since I recently moved.

It seems to be helping with anxiety, and a bit with self-esteem too. Sometimes feeling good about my accomplishments is hard, so giving myself permission to reward myself instead of always feeling guilty or overwhelmed for the time I spend doing things I enjoy. Many of the goals are rewards as well, such as being able to enjoy curling up with a good book again and falling asleep thinking of the story.

I hope I will be consistent, but not beat myself up if I have off days, but that's why I think the tokens will work. At first, I thought there was no way a token would be helpful for me, but it honestly makes me feel good about myself to think I've earned even $0.25 toward a new book or a movie rental, or a month's subscription to a streaming service. These are things I end up spending too much money on, not using, and then worrying about the waste, and not saving much money. Now, if I can keep this momentum going, even if it's a day where I only make my bed, I will mark that token and probably keep being inspired to earn the other tokens for daily self-care.

Sorry I post long, meandering streams of consciousness, I'm working on my communication, but I'm glad this place exists and the paths encourage us to share.

Than you!