When it comes to gifts, my first thought is always giving gifts to others. Gifts for friends, for family, for my teachers and so on. I always wrap them up nicely and hand them over, just hoping the receivers'll feel happy the second they open it.
One day, it hit me all of a sudden—I've never once given myself a gift. Do I not deserve gifts or happiness from myself? Of course I do. So I decided to prepare myself for something special that doesn't need fancy wrapping at all—an "experience gift".

A Relaxing Gift for Myself

I. Night hike to watch the sunrise

When I was 18, I did something I'd always wanted to hike to watch the sunrise but kept telling myself "it's not worthy". I was heartbroken back then, so I decided to get away a little. I got up in the middle of the night to hike in the dark, just to see the sunrise. It's kinda embarrassing to say, but I was so lost and out of it those days, I never really loved myself properly.
I set my alarm for 2 a.m. When it went off, I almost just rolled over and stayed in bed. There were like two little voices fighting in my head. But I dragged myself up and went out anyway.

I made it to the top just before the sun came up. The wind up there was way stronger than at the bottom. I stood there, letting the wind hit me, looking out at the endless mountains stretching far away. Watching the sun slowly come up over the horizon, I felt lighter than I had in forever. It was like nothing really mattered that much anymore. I still remember how that moment felt, clear as day. It was the best 18th birthday gift I ever gave myself. No physical present could ever give me that kind of feeling.

If there's something you want to do, just go do it. It's not a carefully wrapped gift for someone else. It's a gift for you just to make yourself happy.

II. A weekend completely to myself

Besides going outside and being with nature, there's another way to relax and calm down. A whole weekend that's only yours, no interruptions. On Friday night, put your phone on. Cook your favorite food, let the whole house fill up with that warm, cozy smell. Wake up naturally the next morning, let the sunlight peek through the curtains wake you up, no one bothering you, nothing to worry about.

Make yourself a cup of tea after you get up, sit by the window and just enjoy the quiet. Read that book you've been meaning to finish for ages, pick up the guitar you haven't played in forever, or even just stare out the window at the rain if it's raining.
By evening, this little date with myself is coming to an end. I didn't go anywhere far, didn't do anything super cool. I just spent time with myself, ate a good meal, watched the sunset quietly, or even did nothing at all. And that already made me feel so happy.

I call this gift "slowing down". We're always so busy trying to be a better version of ourselves, that we forget to be kind to the person we are right now. Sometimes we're way too hard on ourselves. We fixate on our flaws, keep thinking we're not good enough. But today, I wanna tell you: you deserve to be treated gently. First by yourself. This isn't running away from life. It's recharging. It's not wasting time, it's saving up strength. When you learn to get along with yourself, the whole world feels softer.

An Exciting Gift for Myself

Do you ever feel like your job is just stuck, going nowhere? You take the same route, do the same things every single day. You scroll on your phone at night until your eyes can't stay open, then get dragged out of bed by your alarm the next morning, feeling like there's something heavy sitting in your chest. It's not like it's painful, exactly… you're alive, but you don't really feel like you're living.
Sometimes I ask myself, is this kind of repetitive life really what I want? So I decided to give myself a gift—something exciting, totally different from my boring daily life: a scary escape room. It's super immersive, you have to get into the character of the story. You gotta figure out the whole plot, and also get through all the scares along the way.


The whole setting is creepy enough, moreover, the NPCs jump out and scare you too. Every time I got scared, my hands would shake, my legs went weak. Those NPCs popping out of the dark always hit right on my biggest fears. But after a while, I figured out the pattern—they never actually touch you, they just scare the hell out of you. Every time after I got startled, my brain would make this weird feeling, like I'm terrified but also thrilled at the same time. This little bit of excitement adds something totally new to my boring, repetitive days.
This gift didn't cost much, but it made me rethink things. My life could be this exciting too. When you fully get into the character, you live a whole different life, go through what the main character goes through. Not just the same old, same old every single day. It's nothing like a physical gift, but it's still an amazing present for myself.
So gifts don't have to be for other people. You can give yourself a long trip, a class you've been wanting to take, or even an afternoon with your phone completely off. All of that can be a gift, just for you.