Are We Really Healing, or Just Consuming Self-Care Products
Annanya Saxena | Aug 29, 2025, 19:55 IST
( Image credit : Timeslife )
Highlight of the story: Self-care was once about rest, breath and simple joy, but today it’s sold back to us as luxury retreats, pricey products and endless Instagram ads. Many people now feel healing means spending money, yet the truth is care doesn’t need a price tag. A walk, quiet time or cooking your own meal can do more than a spa package. This blog explores how to break free from the business of self-care and return to practices that actually heal.
Self-care once meant rest. Now it’s an industry. Healing has been turned into a hustle, where we’re told to buy more candles, apps, and retreats just to feel okay. But does real care need a price tag?
What Self-Care Used to Mean
Not long ago, care was simple. You slept early, drank enough water or spent time in nature. Healing was free. It didn’t come in shiny boxes or under brand names. It came from paying attention to yourself without guilt or pressure. A slow morning walk or a quiet night at home was enough.
Small Acts That Were Real Healing
The little things often mattered more than anything you could buy. Talking to a friend who listens without judgment. Writing down feelings in a notebook. Walking barefoot on grass and feeling the earth hold you. These small acts calmed the soul in ways shopping never could. They didn’t demand money, just time and presence.
When Self-Care Became a Product
Bath bombs. Skin routines. Branded yoga wear. Luxury retreats. Each sold as if they were the missing piece to peace. Healing became something to buy, not something to live. The industry told us that without products we weren’t caring for ourselves properly. The message shifted from “listen to your body” to “buy this and you’ll heal.”
The Pressure to Heal Perfectly
Instead of bringing peace, self-care became another source of stress. People began to feel like failures if they weren’t meditating daily, journaling every morning or posting proof online. Healing turned into performance, not practice. Many now show self-care on Instagram not to feel better, but to look like they are healing.
Why Constant Healing Feels Tiring
The endless cycle of “working on yourself” can be more exhausting than healing. Always chasing the next program or trend leaves people drained. Real care isn’t about endless effort. Sometimes doing nothing is enough. Sitting still, watching the sky, or just breathing without a plan can be as healing as any course.
Expensive Retreats vs Simple RestWhy spend thousands on a retreat when rest, fresh air and laughter can heal for free? The wellness market grows by selling us the idea that we are broken and need fixing. Pain has become business. But healing was never about showing progress or buying more. True care comes in everyday moments that no one else sees.
Journaling, walks, stretching, or silence cost nothing yet bring peace.Returning yourself to balanceHealing shouldn't be a hustle. It’s a pause. Maintaining balance means slowing down, not spending more.
Self-care doesn’t need shopping carts. Healing isn’t a brand, it’s a breath. Let’s stop turning peace into performance and return to simple, human ways of caring. Which makes your way of living a little better for yourself.
What is real self-care? Simple acts like rest, reflection, and connection.Why is self-care commercialised nowadays? Because companies profit by selling products linked to healing.Does healing need money? No, many free practices are deeply effective.
What Self-Care Used to Mean
Staying hydrated
( Image credit : Freepik )
Not long ago, care was simple. You slept early, drank enough water or spent time in nature. Healing was free. It didn’t come in shiny boxes or under brand names. It came from paying attention to yourself without guilt or pressure. A slow morning walk or a quiet night at home was enough.
Small Acts That Were Real Healing
Writing
( Image credit : Unsplash )
The little things often mattered more than anything you could buy. Talking to a friend who listens without judgment. Writing down feelings in a notebook. Walking barefoot on grass and feeling the earth hold you. These small acts calmed the soul in ways shopping never could. They didn’t demand money, just time and presence.
When Self-Care Became a Product
Skincare
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Bath bombs. Skin routines. Branded yoga wear. Luxury retreats. Each sold as if they were the missing piece to peace. Healing became something to buy, not something to live. The industry told us that without products we weren’t caring for ourselves properly. The message shifted from “listen to your body” to “buy this and you’ll heal.”
The Pressure to Heal Perfectly
Heal yourself
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Instead of bringing peace, self-care became another source of stress. People began to feel like failures if they weren’t meditating daily, journaling every morning or posting proof online. Healing turned into performance, not practice. Many now show self-care on Instagram not to feel better, but to look like they are healing.
Why Constant Healing Feels Tiring
Feeling tired
( Image credit : Unsplash )
The endless cycle of “working on yourself” can be more exhausting than healing. Always chasing the next program or trend leaves people drained. Real care isn’t about endless effort. Sometimes doing nothing is enough. Sitting still, watching the sky, or just breathing without a plan can be as healing as any course.
Expensive Retreats vs Simple RestWhy spend thousands on a retreat when rest, fresh air and laughter can heal for free? The wellness market grows by selling us the idea that we are broken and need fixing. Pain has become business. But healing was never about showing progress or buying more. True care comes in everyday moments that no one else sees.