Guilt!
Guilt is a powerful emotion. It is that nauseating twist in your stomach that accompanies the awareness that comes with doing something bad. It leaves you with a self-imposed embarrassment about a behaviour.
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Guilt may be a healthy motivation to push us towards changing a behaviour but what if that behaviour is something that brings us pleasure, like an adrenaline rush none other can give? What if indulging in it momentarily gives us a mental break from life and its troubles and fills us with an insane amount of happiness? Then we shouldn't feel guilty about doing it, they are simply guilty pleasures.
Guilty pleasures are activities you love to perform but feel it is too shameful to admit. Everyone has their guilty pleasures and I am honourably on this list. The human body is wired to feel pleasure. It is a default setting that helps humans deal with different types of stress and provides a balanced living.
Here's a compilation of my guilty pleasures. Some of these things I may not ordinarily admit to without a gun in my head but then if it doesn't harm anyone, why should I hide it? Well, maybe it does harm someone but I know they'd be just alright😀.
Binge Eating
I do not consider myself a foodie but I love food. I love to make different types of dishes to satisfy my cravings. I can't say no to a plate of delicious food. It doesn't matter if I just ate an hour ago and not hungry, I'd gulp everything down my throat and eat until there are no spaces left in my stomach for more. Each time I am worried or stressed out about something, eating is the fastest way to get my nerves to relax.
The sad thing about this is that it leaves me gaining so much weight and each time I add some weight, I look up some exercise routines online which I never get to do😀 and oh, my toilet hates me. There are days I spend more hours in the toilet than any other part of my house because of all the stuff I've forced down my throat.
Borrowing tampons and towels from the hotel.
I hate to use the word "stealing" so I'll settle for "borrowing". Don't roll your eyes at me. I lodge in these hotels because they are very comfortable and a good place to relax but they are so expensive and taking along some souvenirs as a "thank you for giving us your hard earned money in exchange for your comfort" isn't a bad thing. Admit it, you may not have taken away any of these items but you've been tempted once or twice.
Watching reality shows.
A lot of people do not enjoy reality shows because they believe they are staged and authentic. Ironically, I feel the same way about them but I can't stop myself from staying up late at night to watch paranormal shows or deadly sins. It's weird how the shows I watch have to do with death😀. Once I watched an episode of paranormal, I ended up feeling like I was legit living in a haunted house. Will I stop watching it anytime soon? Not until I find a good replacement.
Performing full blown solo concert in the bathroom
It's unexplainable how I magically become a music composer and a singer once inside the shower. Once the waters hit my face, inspirations descend on me like the waterfalls and I sing out my lungs sometimes off-key to any song that comes to mind at the moment. My housemates don't find it funny but the momentarily feeling of being better than Beyonce and Mariah Carey is something I'll never trade for anything else.
Online window shopping
It's an addiction. I love to go online and check out prices of different items. It would be great if I end up buying them but I just add them to my cart knowing I'll never hit that "place your button order". It's fun and leaves me with the hope of actually buying these items in the future.
I have so many guilty pleasures and I wish I can name it all but I do not want to bore you with the number of times I've called in sick just to avoid going to work or the number of times I have farted in a gathering and laughed inside as everyone suspected everyone. I know this may be evil and I apologize if you've been one of my victims.
In everything however, moderation is the key as too much of everything is bad. These indulgences may not be bad but if they are becoming uncontrollably with a possible threat to normalcy then it ought to be cupped.