Making Celebration a Practice

When I was in my early 20s I got an “expensive” bottle of wine at a work celebration (expensive by my standards at the time meant anything that cost more than $15) and I was determined to save it for a special occasion. So I stuck it in one of my overstuffed cupboard and it sat in there for months and months. Many occasions passed during that time. I got a new job, I moved to a new apartment, I made new friends, I found new interests, I closed some chapters that needed closing but none seemed good enough to open that bottle of wine.

We often treat celebration the way that I was treating that bottle of wine, it is something to save for the very special moments and to be reserved for when something big or good happens.

I want to invite you to reconsider that notion. Celebration is nourishment and one of the best practices we have for addressing the constant sense of dissatisfaction and striving that is part of many of our lives. Celebration is meant to be a consistent practice and, in fact, the more we celebrate the more we train our mind and the rest of our nervous system to be primed for celebration, to move in the direction of celebration.

In order to bring more celebration into your life it is important to understand the different forms of celebration and identify different ones in each area that work for you.

1. Short and Low Investment: these forms of celebration do not take much to set up in terms of resources and can be done quickly. Think gratitude pause to extend some gratitude to yourself, treating yourself to a nice coffee, planning to watch your favorite show with some popcorn and essential oils diffusing, using one of your favorite at-home sheet masks. This can be good for celebrating everyday victories like finally sending a difficult email or sticking with an intention.

2. Long and Low Investment: these forms of celebration do not require too much in terms of resources to get set up but they take longer to engage in. This could be like going hiking on your favorite trail even though it takes a while to drive there, an at home spa day, getting groceries to cook a meal you really enjoy, arranging lunch with a friend, or setting aside an afternoon for crafting. These forms of celebration are great for everyday victories and accomplishments that re a step above that like making it through a tough week while being compassionate towards yourself, sticking with your budget for a couple of weeks, or doing well on a presentation at work.

3. Short and High Investment: these form of celebrations require more resources but can be engaged in even when your time is limited. This might include things like getting a massage, getting takeout at a place you like that is a bit pricier, or ordering or buying an item you’ve been wanting. This could be good for a time when you have reached a significant goal or accomplishment but have limited time to engage in celebration.

4. Long and High Investment: these forms of celebration take more time, energy, and or/money to set up and you spend more time engaging in the celebration itself. Think vacation, part or group celebration, big concert, day of more extravagant enjoyment. This form of celebration is good for reaching large milestones and accomplishments.

   If you can give yourself options in each of these areas you can weave celebration into your life more often!