17 Simple Ways to Celebrate Yourself

Who can forget Niecy Nash-Betts going viral in January after her Emmy Award acceptance speech for her role in Netflix’s Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. After she thanked the usual people, she said this: “And you know who I want to thank? I want to thank me—for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do. And I want to say to myself in front of all you beautiful people, 'Go on girl with your bad self. You did that.'"

Baby, when I heard that, all I could do was scream, “Yes!”

See, I'm all about self-love and praise. I even have what I call an “I’m so great” list. Actually, it’s a multi-page document full of things that make me so amazing. Think personality traits, accomplishments, compliments from clients and people in my personal life, my best photos, things that bring me joy, and so on.

When I feel good about something, I add it. A bonus: Looking over the list when I'm down in the dumps usually gives me a boost.

Although it may sound conceited, experts say self-appreciation like mine and Nash-Betts’ is a good thing.

“As Black women, the world does a lot to tell us that we're not good enough, we're not smart enough and we don't work hard enough,” says Vanessa Frierson Freeman, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and owner of Searching for Self Counseling and Consulting in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the Greater Philadelphia area.

We all know that’s not true. But if you’re waiting for applause from other folks, you’re probably in for a long wait, says Dr. Freeman. Self-celebration gives us fuel for our journey and reminds us of our accomplishments, both big and small, she says.

So go ahead and give yourself props. You're a badass and deserve it.

Think about why you’re GLAD. Carolyn Kagan, a soon-to-be 40-year-old, of Stamford, Connecticut uses the acronym GLAD as a journaling prompt and recommends it to her therapy clients. “GLAD stands for grateful, learned, accomplished and delighted, which helps to steer our thinking, ideally at the end of the day, towards the things we're grateful for, the lessons we've learned, what we've accomplished and what we found delight in,” she says.