{"id":2998,"date":"2023-06-21T02:06:32","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T06:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/why-everyday-luxuries-help-make-us-happier\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T02:06:32","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T06:06:32","slug":"why-everyday-luxuries-help-make-us-happier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/why-everyday-luxuries-help-make-us-happier\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Everyday Luxuries Help Make Us Happier"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Profit<\/a>
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In her memoir\u00a0Plant Dreaming Deep<\/em><\/a>, poet May Sarton wrote: \u201cIf\u00a0someone asked me what my idea of luxury is, I think my answer\u00a0would be: flowers in the house all year round.\u201d<\/p>\n

This question caught my imagination: What\u2019s my idea of luxury?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, luxury means buying books instead of getting them from the library, ordering a soft drink in a restaurant, splurging on a terrific set of magic markers or book of stickers (like this John Derian book<\/a>), using a lotion warmer<\/a>, and spending more for a fancy face lotion (my favorite is Embryolisse Lait-Cr\u00e8me Concentr\u00e9<\/span><\/a>, because it has a beautiful smell and great texture).<\/p>\n

I was curious to hear from other people about their favorite everyday luxuries, so I asked readers and listeners to weigh in.
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In reviewing the list, it struck me that many of the answers don\u2019t cost much\u2014or anything at all\u2014yet enjoying a modest \u201cluxury\u201d can dramatically boost our feelings of comfort and pleasure.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was also struck by the fact that I also took a lot of satisfaction in suggestions such as crushed ice, an electric kettle, and frothy milk, but I\u2019d never thought of them as luxuries. Now that I\u2019ve them the label of \u201cluxuries,\u201d I enjoy them more.<\/p>\n

In my book Better Than Before<\/a><\/em>, I describe the 21 strategies<\/a>\u00a0we can use to make or break our habits\u2014and the most popular strategy is the \u201cStrategy of Treats.\u201d<\/p>\n

When we give ourselves treats, we feel energized, cared for, and contented, which boosts our self-command\u2014and self-command helps us maintain our healthy habits.<\/p>\n

When we don\u2019t get any treats, we begin to feel burned-out, depleted, and resentful. We start to feel deprived, which isn\u2019t a good frame of mind for good habits.<\/p>\n

For that reason, it\u2019s helpful to identify healthy treats to give ourselves, and luxuries (chosen wisely) are a form of healthy treats.<\/p>\n

They also make great gift ideas! <\/span><\/p>\n

Especially if you\u2019re buying a present for under-buyers<\/a>\u00a0who, if they\u2019re anything like me, often resist buying things, especially items with very specific purposes (I would never buy myself a lotion warmer; my sister Elizabeth gave me it as a gift).
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One more striking fact about luxuries: they delight our five senses with beautiful fragrance,\u00a0 flavors, textures, sounds, and sights. In my book Life in Five Senses<\/a><\/em>, I write about how we can tap in to our senses\u2014and by giving us luxury, they give us a sense of vitality.<\/p>\n

Because these are luxuries we experience every day, it can be easy for them to fade out of awareness. We need to remind ourselves how much we love the view from our big window, or how much we appreciate the convenience of our electric kettle, so we won\u2019t take everyday luxuries for granted.<\/p>\n

Readers and listeners enjoy these everyday luxuries:<\/p>\n