The Benefits Of Indulgence

Indulgence often comes with a side serve of shame and regret. But, as Genevieve Gannon discovers, it’s incredibly important for our health to learn to take the guilt out of pleasure.

- Genevieve Gannon

As the end of the year draws near, our minds inevitably turn to the best things in life: more time with family, parties (albeit small, socially distanced ones) and wonderful food shared with loved ones. But indulgence often comes with a sense of guilt, and we may find ourselves resisting that second serving of Christmas pudding – or feeling remorse if we don’t.

That niggling feeling that treating ourselves is somehow wrong can lead us to feel we don’t deserve the new dress we’ve saved up to buy, or that special weekend away. But experts say it’s time to banish those thoughts, as a little indulgence is not only harmless, but incredibly important for our overall wellbeing.

Permission to indulge

Professor of Psychological Sciences at The University of Melbourne Brock Bastian has one key message for those struggling with guilt after pleasure: taking time to enjoy the things we love is vital for sustaining both body and soul. “It is really important to reward and look after ourselves,” he says. “That should be a high priority because if we don’t, we’ll lose interest in life. We’ve got to indulge in pleasure in order to have a good life.”

And that’s especially important to learn as we approach the end of an incredibly tumultuous year, because giving ourselves permission to enjoy those indulgences helps to fend off negative feelings and lift us up – even if only for a short time.