Woman Replaces Therapy with Wellness Purchases

LIVINGSTON, MT - Local graphic designer Maya Hendricks, 29, spent $550 on wellness products this month instead of dealing with the fact that her freelance work disappeared in December and her apartment smells faintly of mold and something overheating.

“I’m in my healing era,” Hendricks said from her kitchen, where the dishwasher operates by stabbing a butter knife into empty button holes and the thermostat is set to a comfortable 58 degrees.

The spending began January 2, one day after Hendricks told her mother over FaceTime that she was “thriving creatively.” She hasn’t had a client since Thanksgiving. Rent is $1,450. Her roommate moved out in October. She described this period as “temporary” without specifying what would end it.

Hendricks purchased a $499 pastel blue-green ceramic sleep-tracking ring, $33 worth of Magnesium Glycinate, a $25 breathwork workshop, and a gratitude journal she has not written in because she is “waiting for something good to happen.”

“Sleep is the foundation of everything,” she said. “Once I’m sleeping well, the rest will naturally align.”

Behind her sat a pile of unopened mail and several dying houseplants.

When asked about therapy, Hendricks said her insurance doesn’t cover it and sessions cost $150 each.

“That’s literally a month of supplements,” she said.

Hendricks recently purchased a $139 red light therapy panel immediately after closing an unread email from her student loan provider. She said it felt productive in the same way an empty Taco Bell drive-thru feels productive.