Let me just start by saying: I was on full-on period mode yesterday.
Day one is always the worst, and I don’t know who I become, but I hate her. And listen, I’ve been walking, eating healthier, doing the work... But sometimes? Sometimes you just need a $10 brownie-Snickers-ice-cream abomination via DoorDash because moving your body to go pick it up feels like war.

Did it make me feel better?
Yes. Dramatically.
Did I need that emotionally, regardless of whether I had the money in the bank?
Also yes.

Was it the wisest financial decision? Debatable.
But it turned my day around, and sometimes a “little bit better” is all you need to avoid a full mental breakdown in your laundry pile.

What Even Is Retail Therapy?

Retail therapy gets a bad rap, especially when it’s women, broke folks, or mentally ill cuties doing the buying. But it’s not always about “buying happiness”, sometimes it’s about buying a sense of control. Or beauty. Or safety. Or, hell, dopamine.

Sometimes I just want to wander into T.J. Maxx or a thrift store, put 17 items in my cart, say “This is cute” 40 times, and leave with a single $4 mug I absolutely didn’t need but will now emotionally imprint on for the rest of my life.

That’s not capitalism. That’s healing.
(Okay it’s also capitalism, but let me live.)

Emotional Spending, Window Shopping, and Lip Stains I’ll Never Use

I’m not here to tell you to spend money you don’t have.
I am here to say it’s okay if you did.

Whether it’s adding stuff to your cart just for fun or actually buying the thing because you just need a damn win, sometimes we’re just trying to feel a little less bad.

Last week I bought a $30 lip stain. I don’t even wear lipstick. But it was smudge-proof and the girl in the video looked so cute and alternative and suddenly I’m like I wanna be cute and alternative too??

Yea marketing works.
Do I regret it? Yeah.
Will I return it? Maybe.
But in the moment? It scratched an itch that a sad salad couldn’t reach.

The Difference Between Numbing and Nourishing

Here’s the thing: There’s a difference between buying to numb and buying to soothe.

Buying to numb is when you spend $800 at Whole Foods after a trauma and cry in the organic cereal aisle. Buying to soothe is when you get a cozy little print for your gallery wall that says “Currently Choosing Joy Over Financial Stability” because same.

When you’re neurodivergent, especially with ADHD or trauma brain, your serotonin tank is just… always flashing empty. So yeah, we doomscroll. We binge TV. We make emotionally driven purchases.

We are simply doing our best with what our brains forgot to make.

Low-Cost Comfort Hits Different

That’s why I made this printable.

I’ve been moving away from making tons of physical products and leaning into what I call Low-Cost Comfort, digital art that makes you feel something without draining your entire paycheck.

This shift wasn’t random. After years of designing T-shirts and shipping out physical goods, I realized my creativity (and sanity) needed more flexibility.

👉 Here’s why I made the switch to digital products, at least for now.

This piece? It’s a smug little cat drowning in flowers, smiling like they just dropped $50 on bath bombs and regrets. And that’s exactly the energy I want hanging next to my desk.

For $10, you can download it, print it, frame it, tape it to your fridge, or turn it into a full-blown craft. You can even edit the text if you grab the commercial license and slap your own chaotic affirmation on it.

So, Is Retail Therapy...Real Therapy?

No. But it’s not not helping.

Especially when it’s under $20, intentional, and joy-driven.
Especially when it teaches you what feels worth it.
Especially when you were raised without money and now have the ability to give younger-you what she desperately wanted at that mall food court.

So yeah, print the cat. Hang the art. Romanticize the absolute shit out of your healing journey.

👉 Download this print for $10 and start building your own chaotic affirmation gallery wall.