Why you’re buying skincare & supplements in bulk (and still feel empty inside)
It starts with the feeling that “something is off,” long before you’d ever use words like burnout or depression.
You’re still going to work, still seeing friends, still posting on social media. But quietly, your browser history and your credit card statements are telling a different story.
This shopping pattern is a warning sign
It usually looks harmless, even healthy.
You’re suddenly obsessed with “cozy”: candles, blankets, matching loungewear, the perfect mug. You’re filling online carts with skincare, supplements, gym gear, yoga memberships, wellness gadgets—often in bulk, often faster than you can actually use any of it.
On the surface, it looks like self-care. Underneath, it can be an early warning sign.
My healthy shopping obsession
Looking back at my own pre-burnout state, I can see this pattern so clearly.
My shopping urges were almost out of control. I was buying makeup, serums, supplements, “healthier” snacks, workout clothes, anything that promised to make me look or feel a little bit better. Packages arrived faster than I could open them. Half-used bottles and barely-touched products piled up in my bathroom and kitchen.
If you’d asked me then, I would’ve said, “I’m just taking care of myself.” In reality, I was trying to buy my way out of a feeling I didn’t yet know how to name.
More then just a wellness obsession
Here’s what’s so unnerving about this: the ideal customer for the modern wellness industry is often the woman who is quietly sliding toward burnout or depression.
The wellness market has exploded, supplements for everything, trackers for everything, “solutions” for everything. But rarely do we talk about who is buying all of this, and the state they’re in when they click “add to cart.”
What feels like “I’m investing in myself” can sometimes be “I’m trying to keep myself from falling apart.”
According to psychologists, buying a lot of wellness related items is a pattern that often shows up before women go into a depression.
Where are you on this spectrum?
Read through these levels and notice where you recognize yourself most.
Level 1: The Curious Wellness Shopper
Description: You enjoy wellness products and like trying new things, but it still feels playful and occasional.
You might notice:
- You buy a new serum or supplement here and there, and you actually use it.
- Purchases feel like fun, not urgent.
- You can go weeks without buying anything “wellness-y” and feel fine.
Level 2: The Hopeful Fix Seeker
Description: You’ve started to believe that the right product will finally make you feel “like yourself” again.
You might notice:
- You’re scrolling wellness content and product reviews most days.
- You tell yourself “this one will be different” as you buy a new cream, pill, or gadget.
- You feel a little rush when you order, and mild disappointment when it doesn’t change much.
Level 3: The Compulsive Wellness Shopper
Description: Your wellness shopping feels less like a choice and more like a compulsion.
You might notice:
- You buy cozy things, makeup, skincare, supplements, gym gear or classes in bulk, “just in case.”
- Many of these items sit unopened or half-used, but you keep buying more.
- You feel restless, empty, or low, and your first instinct is to browse for something new.
Level 4: The Silent Cry For Help
Description: Shopping is no longer about products, it’s about numbing and distraction.
You might notice:
- You feel increasingly drained, unmotivated, or detached from life, even as your “self-care” collection grows.
- The packages arriving give you a brief spike of relief, then you sink back into the same heaviness.
- You’re starting to feel ashamed or secretive about how much you’re buying, but you don’t know how to stop.
If you see yourself in Level 3 or 4, your shopping might not be “just a habit.” It may be your brain chasing quick dopamine hits to cope with an underlying burnout or depression brewing under the surface.
Answer these questions privately
Take a second and answer these silently:
How much of what you’ve bought in the last 3–6 months is actually being used consistently?
Do you feel more excited about *buying* wellness items than actually doing the habits they’re supposed to support?
When you feel low, anxious, or empty, how often do you reach for your phone to browse “self-care” or “health” products?
If you weren’t feeling this exhausted, numb, or overwhelmed, would you still be shopping like this?
Sometimes, the cart you keep filling is saying what you’re not yet ready to say out loud.
Burnout, dopamine and why shopping feels so good (until it doesn’t)
Here’s what might be happening under the hood.
Phase 1: Overload
You’re under constant pressure—work, responsibilities, emotional load. Your nervous system doesn’t get real rest, only micro-breaks and distractions.
Phase 2: Dopamine Drift
You start craving quick hits of “feel-good” chemicals: the anticipation of a package, the novelty of a new product, the fantasy of a “new you.” Shopping gives you a tiny spike of dopamine, even if your actual life isn’t changing.
Phase 3: Emotional Shutdown
The deeper burnout or low mood becomes, the more you lean on easy dopamine (scrolling, buying, consuming) instead of doing the harder, slower things that actually restore you. The problem: the shopping doesn’t fix the root cause. So you end up with both: mounting burnout or depression, and a shopping habit that keeps trying (and failing) to compensate.
That’s the double trap: you’re chasing dopamine through ways that never touch the real issue, which keeps you stuck.
How to break the cycle
If nothing changes, this pattern usually doesn’t just “go away”
The cycles get tighter: more overwhelm, more emptiness, more desperate clicks on “buy now,” more stuff around you, less relief inside you. Over time, that can slide into a quieter, heavier depression and a feeling that you’re losing control of your own life.
But if you catch this early and address the dopamine burnout piece directly, the picture looks very different. You can shift from chasing tiny highs in your shopping cart to feeling genuinely energized by things like real rest, movement, meaningful work, connection, and small wins you’re proud of.
How you can fix this
When I finally addressed my burnout and retrained my dopamine system, something surprising happened: my shopping urges shrank.
I no longer needed endless creams, lip glosses, or supplements “just in case.” I chose a few go-tos that truly worked for me and stopped feeling pulled toward every new thing. My home felt calmer, my bank account thanked me, and my confidence came not from what I owned, but from how I was in control of it all.
If you recognize yourself in this, and you want to feel good about your habits again (both emotionally and financially) — message me to find out if you’re a fit for dopamine coaching.