Give Yourself Permission to Do Whatever You Want
My personal PMS permission slip. Photo by Quinn Corte, 2025.
The other day I opened an astrological newsletter on my phone. I was restlessly scrolling through it (as one does), when I realized I was seeking something specific. I wanted the author to say we should all be tending to ourselves and finding ways to feel good right now—even though the world is on fire.
I guess I thought if the cosmos were saying it was okay, then I could do it.
If we have a desire that’s inconvenient, we tell ourselves it’s wrong, selfish, dangerous, or lazy. But we can’t actually talk ourselves out of wanting something.
So, we hope someone will give us permission to want it. If others are doing it—if others say it’s okay—then maybe it’s okay. We’ll look around at what others are doing, listen to “experts,” and aimlessly scroll Instagram, hoping someone will grant us permission to be ourselves.
You know what I’m going to say next:
Give yourself permission.
If you’re longing for something, it's okay to do it, have it, take it, ask for it. Only you know what you need most.
I offer 3 pieces of wisdom when it comes to writing your own permission slip:
Don’t try to talk yourself out of what you actually want.
You don’t need a reason to justify it.
You don’t need anyone else to approve or understand it.
Summer is a great time to practice granting permission. What do you wish you had permission to do (or not do) this summer? Here are some ideas:
Permission to say “no” to something draining
Permission to focus on yourself
Permission to not care about work
Permission to let the house be messy
Permission to spend time doing something pointless
Permission to follow a curiosity
Permission to not be excellent at something
Permission to take afternoon siestas
Permission to spend money on something delightful
Permission to be angry
Permission to mope
Permission to be unabashedly, exuberantly joyful
Permission to not look at the news
Permission to go swimming in the middle of a workday
Permission to take more days off than you think you should
Permission to walk away from something or someone
Permission to indulge
And if you still need someone to tell you it’s okay, please allow me to be that person. (I’m actually part fairy, so I can grant wishes.) Here goes…
I grant you full permission to do exactly what you want without guilt.
Ta-da!