1.

“I signed up for pottery classes. I’d been meaning to take them forever, and even though I was really depressed for a really long time, those classes were the one thing I looked forward to every week and the thing that kept me afloat until I eventually started to feel better.”

-Annalise, 26

2.

“A special edition Harry Potter box set. All seven books, beautiful condition. I put them on the shelf above my bed and it made me feel a little happier even just looking at them. Plus I reread them all in a row and that was an amazing, lengthy distraction.”

-Kory, 28

3.

“A light-therapy lamp. They’re expensive, but we broke up right after Christmas and January was awful and it was a strange source of comfort for me during the winter. It helped loads.”

-Aaron, 26

4.

“I bought a lot of really nice cheese from this fancy cheese place that I always walked by on the way home from work.”

-Kate, 25

5.

“Crossfit.”

-Carly, 24

6.

“I pretty much surfed Groupon every day and had a ‘treat yo’self’ experience like they do on Parks and Rec. Massage, pedicure, yoga class, teeth whitening.”

-Jamie, 30

7.

“This is pretty basic, but I watched for candle sales on sites like Bath & Body Works and Yankee Candle and then bought in bulk. As silly as it felt, having a warm, inviting smell in my apartment helped a ton. Especially when I got home from work and felt alone.”

-Meaghan, 27

8.

“I started thrifting. I found a ton of cute, new stuff and barely spent a dime. It was therapy without the insane cost.”

-Reese, 23

9.

“Wine of the Month Club. Pretentious… and really, really worth it.”

-Blake, 29

10.

“I went to a proper cosmetics store and went all-out. Usually I just pick up cheap makeup at drug stores on an as-needed basis, but I decided to give myself a one-time treat of getting some really, really nice makeup. It was expensive, but it was definitely a bright spot during that phase of my life and made me feel really good.”

-Annie, 25

11.

“Guitar lessons.”

-Nate, 23

12.

“I started picking up a donut every Monday morning on the way to work. Monday’s already sucked, but they were a lot worse when I was going through that breakup. So the donut helped a little.”

-Barry, 27

13.

“I finally got Spotify Premium. Never looked back.”

-Anya, 24

14.

“Never discount retail therapy. I didn’t go crazy, but I let myself have fun and I splurged on some new clothes that made me feel really comfortable and good about myself, I bought a few decorations that really warmed up my apartment, and I bought a couple pairs of new boots after wearing the same beat-up pair for three years. It didn’t fix everything, but it brought some new lightness and a fresh perspective into my life that had been missing. Plus I was excited to get out of bed every morning and wear my new clothes to work.”

-Clara, 26

15.

“A horse.”

-Alyssa, 23

16.

“I got one of those mini bar carts on Amazon and am obsessed with it. Not only did it ‘class up’ my apartment, but it made me more excited to have people over and be social, which was crucial during my breakup phase because initially I never wanted to do anything or go anywhere.”

-Bri, 26

17.

“Does a new tattoo count? It was expensive. But I love it.”

-Charlie, 28

18.

“I bought stationary and started sending hand-written cards (sometimes birthday cards, but mostly just-for-the-fun-of-it cards) to my friends and family and it was oddly comforting to do. Plus a lot of them started sending cards back, and I can’t explain how weirdly exciting it is to receive a piece of mail these days that was addressed by an actual human (as opposed to another bank statement).”

-Riley, 24