In 2021, a survey revealed that almost 84% of the country has at least one guilty pleasure that they indulge in. I think I speak for most people when saying that we all have two to four random guilty pleasures that we constantly indulge in. Whether it’s a cringy TV show, a music artist/genre, weird food combinations, or whatever else you come up with. I have a lot of guilty pleasures I indulge in and I picked out some of my favorites to share with you.
My first guilty pleasure is more “I’m having a horrible day and need to change my mood” based. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I get in my car and drive to Pet Supplies Plus where I bother any worker in sight to ask them if I could hold the cats. It’s almost always better when there are kittens. This is the one guilty pleasure that doesn’t just benefit me. Most of the cats there are from the shelter and need lots of love. Of course, I don’t mind because they’re cute and fuzzy. It greatly improves my mood even if it’s only for a few minutes, but if I’m being honest, I’m usually there for a significant amount of time. I’m very sorry to every Pet Supplies Plus worker that I have bothered to do this.
If you’re a bookworm, you’re going to either relate to me or think I’m crazy. I like to read books in low-level lighting. While I do know this is very straining for your eyes, I don’t exactly care. Laying in my bed with multiple fuzzy blankets, squishmallows (tons of them), a little snack, and the dimmed lighting just adds to the comfort of reading itself. As someone who reads a lot, it’s important to have the right setting. Incidentally, comfort isn’t the only reason I do this. I usually read books that end up making me cry, so the low-level lighting helps hide the tears. I do this so that if someone walks in on me mid-cry sesh, I can’t be caught in the act.
I’m sure almost everyone can relate to this one. I’m the kind of person who puts everything in their notes app. This ranges from random thoughts to a list ranking every Celsius flavor. To me, it’s like having a journal with you at all times. I plan and plot all through the easy access of my notes app. The fact that you can lock certain notes with a password is a huge plus. It’s convenient, secure, and honestly fun. If you don’t already do this, I highly recommend it.
This isn’t exactly a guilty pleasure but more a lifestyle. I always put my 226 song playlist of almost every Taylor Swift song ever created on whenever I get in the car. I don’t like having to decide what kind of vibe I want when I’m driving and to me, Taylor Swift is always the vibe. I just hit shuffle and drive. The great thing about doing this is there’s an endless amount of songs. So if I’m driving for 10 minutes or 4 hours, I never have to worry about what to put on next. She has a song for everything. One minute I could be singing my heart out and the next I could be bawling. It’s perfect.
Like any normal person, I’m sure quite a few of you indulge in weird pleasures that make you happy. They may not be as specific and are way more normal, but they’re probably equally as comforting. Even if it’s as simple as watching Ginny and Georgia and secretly cringing the whole time while also being extremely entertained by the plot. Or maybe it’s listening to heavy metal music while doing the most simple tasks. Whatever it is, I strongly encourage you to keep doing it. Life is all about the simple pleasures.