For a long time “treating yourself” has seemed like a purely selfish act with absolutely no benefit. But what if pampering yourself was actually good for you?

Here are a few things that are both selfish and great for you. Because whoever said taking care of you was ever a bad thing:

1. Shop Till You Drop

Not literally in this case. Because recent studies have shown that retail therapy might not just be an excuse to shop, but a real scientifically proven way to reduce stress and improve your health.

There are a lot of benefits to shopping, but some of the ones we normally think of is relaxation and escape. People tend to find the act of walking around, trying clothes on, and not even buying anything a type of relaxation akin to meditation.

Beyond just being relaxing by nature, shopping also has the benefit of being a social activity, which can help trigger happy chemicals in our brain from human connection. Pair these things with the physical activity you get from walking while shopping, it’s an easy way to keep healthy while still indulging in something just for you.

2. Treat Yourself To A Massage

For a long time, massage was viewed only as something that spa-goers indulged in for a little relaxation. Today, however, the world has begun to recognize massage therapy’s many health benefits, both mental and physical.

The most obvious health benefit from massage is anxiety and stress relief from it’s calming and neutralizing affect. Beyond that, it’s also been proven to help greatly with digestive disorders and insomnia.

But what if you want to treat yourself but you’re a little squeamish about the random person touching you part?

Well there’s something called self-massage which is exactly what it sounds like. Some techniques are the belly massage, where you sit in bridge position and massage up your stomach, or the neck massage where you roll your head backwards and forwards to really get into the muscle.

3. Pop A Bottle Of Your Best Red

One of the more popular scientific discoveries of late is that a glass of wine a day might actually be good for you. Wine lovers rejoice!

Among some benefits found from ingesting wine daily is preserving memory, burning more calories a day, protecting against ovarian cancer, and even reducing insulin resistance.

Obviously, any type of alcohol is dangerous in excess, but if you’re a wine lover a glass a day might actually give you an advantage in the health department. Make sure you pair your daily intake with a healthy diet so you can live a happier, healthier life.

4. Take A Long Bath

I think almost anyone could have guessed this one. Nothing that feels as good as a hot bath after a long day’s work could be bad for you, right? Taking a bath is more than just relaxing and muscle healing, though.

A new study has showed that taking a bath can burn calories just like exercise. The science revolves around a relatively new concept called “passive heating”, where you can simulate heat experienced during exercise with other means.

The study showed that an hour-long bath resulted in an average of 140 calories burned in the subjects, around the same in a short walk.

Other studies like this one also explored how passive heating can help reduce heart disease and lower blood pressure.

So, stop thinking of your weekly bubble bath as a luxury and start thinking of it as a workout, because it has a lot of the same effects.

5. Get Your Nails Done

It’s hard to believe that getting a mani-pedi could be anything but frivolous and indulgent. But with nail care becoming a daily activity for most young people, it’s seem obvious that people would start to think of how it might be beneficial to us.

One of the best benefits of getting manicure is the relaxation that comes with being out of control. When you’re at a salon with your fingers wet, you can’t check your phone or email, it’s like a mini-vacation from life.

But what’s also interesting, is how painting nails can be similar to meditation. Because it requires focus, it’s hard to think of a million other things while doing your nails. Similar to how colouring books are considered art therapy now, so can the art of painting your nails.

So, don’t be afraid to pop into the salon or do them yourself, it might just help your mental health.

What selfish thing do you do that keeps you healthy? Let us know in the comments!