Lets Talk #LittleTreat Culture
Practical Pursuit: Self-Care
I dug through my front console, looking for my new sunglasses. My tired eyes gave away my lack of sleep over the last several weeks. After dropping off the boys at school, I planned to drive through Starbucks for a little treat.
My friend and seminary sister, Leiah Fundell, wrote about the Little Treat movement for our culture class last summer. The term sounded vaguely familiar—who doesn’t love a “small happy” (as my friend Michelle calls them)? But through Leiah’s research, our conversations, and some additional research, I realized the massive phenomenon that has become #littletreat culture.
For those who aren't entirely up to speed on all the passing Gen Z trends, a little treat is indulging in small, inexpensive pleasures to boost momentary happiness. It motivates you to accomplish or power through an otherwise mundane or laborious task or day.
To understand how prevalent this movement is, Leiah found some astounding statistics:
“Popular on TikTok and other social media platforms, the hashtag #littletreat has amassed more than 142.8 million views on TikTok. (2024) Variations of the text like #littletreats, #alittletreat, #littletreat?, and #littletreatculture have a combined 66.9 million additional views.”
While psychology and science support this type of self-reward for productivity and motivation, I wondered:
Should modern-day believers purchase a #LittleTreat as a form of self-care?
Nothing sounds better after a sleepless night with my baby than my grande Vanilla Latte and coffee cake. If I feel run down in the afternoon, you’ll find me sifting through my snack bin to see what’s hiding underneath. Even better yet, I love to pamper myself with a pedicure or massage if it's been an intense week or month. It’s in my Enneagram 3 nature to find ways to reward myself for normative tasks. I’m the girl who loves the checklist with the big fat check. I’d never really stopped to consider the psychology of small, seemingly insignificant self-rewards as self-care.
In searching through Scripture this week, one central conviction stood out above the rest:
A little treat can bring us happiness for a fleeting moment, but only the Lord can bring us never-ending joy.
Here me say this: there is nothing wrong with grabbing an afternoon snack or your favorite beverage to power through the end of your work day or even occasionally splurging on that fancy coffee (if your budget allows). Making room in our schedules for a little treat can be a form of healthy self-care.
But ultimately, the Lord needs to be the PERSON and the PLACE we go to find true joy.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
In his presence, we have access to complete joy. We only need to turn to him and take a moment to be aware of his presence, which is already WITH us. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit within us as believers, we have access to the deep-rooted joy that holds us through all kinds of difficult circumstances.
We don’t have to earn joy by cycling through little treats. Joy is a gift from God, our Good Father, who loves to give his children good things. This passage doesn’t tell us to muster good thoughts or happiness from deep within our souls. It tells us that in HIS presence, there is already complete joy. He alone is the provider of this good gift; we simply get to come and receive it.
To become aware of his presence, we need to slow down, say a short prayer, breathe, meditate on a verse or phrase, look around, and see everything he has made and given to us.
Some days, we might want or need that little treat to help encourage us over the slump. As the coffee drips, your tea cools, or you savor the snack you’ve been eyeing, take a moment and come to Jesus. Consider practicing this breath prayer to set your focus on him.
As you breathe in, repeat: in your presence there is fullness of joy;
And as you breathe out, repeat: at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Let the Word wash over you and bring you even more profound joy than can ever be found in a #littletreat.
P.S. I made you a FREE lock screen graphic so you can save this verse to your phone and memorize it with me! Click, download, and save it to your phone as your wallpaper for the week.