My Therapy Era Ended. My Fun Budget Began.

I quit therapy at the end of March. After nearly two years of weekly appointments with a therapist I really connected with, I saw a significant lull in my day-to-day anxiety, to the point where I was even able to wean off my antidepressants. This — paired with the fact that my copay went from $10 per visit to almost $120 at the start of a new fiscal year — helped me make the decision to stop attending my weekly sessions altogether.

To my surprise, my therapist encouraged my “graduation,” urging me to continue practicing the techniques we worked on together, like body scans and box breathing, to reset my nervous system when I felt like I was spiraling or about to have a panic attack.

Since quitting therapy, I’ve been saving about $500 a month, which I invest into other forms of self-care, like hot yoga and Pilates classes, 60-minute deep tissue massages, and facials at spas I’d never have been able to justify splurging on beforehand.

As it turns out, I’m not alone. With the average cost of sessions ranging from $100 to $200 — that’s up to $5,200 a year if you go biweekly — plenty of people are understandably moving on from therapy, leaving more financial wiggle room to pursue other feel-good activities. Some pick up more traditional forms of self-care, but others get creative: high-end fragrances. The Eras Tour. Why not?

This certainly isn’t the right move for everyone. There’s no shame in needing help to function well and feel your best, and if you’re considering quitting, don’t just ghost — talk to your therapist about it first.

But sometimes, those funds really are better spent elsewhere. Below, I spoke with four people who quit therapy about what they’re spending their money on now.

Feeling Good, Smelling Better

Carter*, 34, writer and editor

Cost of therapy: $700 a month

New expenses: About $500 total

I’d been going to therapy for four years before I stopped attending. I liked my therapist a lot, but I felt like I had gotten what I needed from seeing him. It was time for me to leave the nest and trust that the tool kit we’d assembled through our sessions would carry me through life’s various bumps. I was spending about $700 a month on therapy, though once I hit my yearly out-of-network deductible, my health insurance reimbursed me for about half.

Now I spend that money on fragrances. I’ve been on a fragrance journey for a minute now, but once I stopped paying for therapy, it suddenly felt like I had money in my account that I could spend without it feeling like it really “counted.” Since my last therapy session, I’ve probably spent a little over $500 on discovery sets and samples. Spending my free time researching what I want to try next has been a real boon for my mental health. Because my therapist and I spent a lot of time talking about having my identity tied up in my job, I think he would be glad that I was investing in my nonwork life and doing something for myself just for fun.

Entertaining The Inner Child

Sara, 28, paraeducator

Cost of therapy: $500 a month without insurance

New expenses: Just under $200 a month

I started therapy in 2020 after a breakup and stayed to deal with deeper issues, including substance abuse. My therapist really saved me and let me cry, scream, and laugh. I went for three years before I quit in 2023 because my insurance no longer supported my therapist’s office. Instead of finding a new, in-network therapist, I decided to spend my money on hobbies I used to enjoy as a child, like Pokémon cards, Sanrio plushies, and One Piece manga. At that point I’d been sober for two years and had plenty of support. Focusing on these hobbies gives me something positive to do with my free time and has helped me find community instead of being alone with my thoughts.

I still have psychiatrist appointments ($15 for in-person appointments) because I’m taking antidepressants and OCD meds ($180 without insurance). But I feel like spending money on these new hobbies is a productive use of my time and brings me joy.

A Swift Recovery

Alexa*, 35, writer

Cost of therapy: $400 per month for five months

New expenses: About $2,150

My boyfriend of seven years broke up with me at the start of 2024. I was completely blindsided and felt like I needed a therapist, so I signed up for weekly sessions through an online therapy platform. While they were extremely helpful in getting me to process what happened and keeping me in check, after about five months, I decided it was too much money — nearly $400 a month — to be spending on a boy who broke my heart and was probably not missing me at all, much less spending any money because of it.

Purely for financial and egotistic purposes, I decided to quit therapy and spend my money on attending the Taylor Swift Eras Tour in Sweden. Let me tell you, singing “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” with thousands of other fans was so therapeutic. Now I spend my extra $325 a month on other forms of self-care, like silk sheets, vintage designer haunts, bougie candles, and BTS merch.

The Mind-Body Connection

Kelly*, 45, publicist

Cost of therapy: $1,000 per month

New expenses: $1,400 per month

After quitting therapy, I started spending my money on weight lifting with a personal trainer and body work with a fascial body expert. For me, feeling and being more solid and grounded in my body was as therapeutic as talk therapy, if not more, honestly. In my case, I’ve found that trauma can become trapped energy in my body, so physical exertion helped relieve its effects. After a very painful loss in my life, lifting has helped restore my mind-body connection. The fascial body work has helped me relieve tension in places where I physically hold stress and emotional difficulties. I didn’t mean for it to replace therapy, but the costs were similar, and I found I felt more resolve and confidence that way.

*Name has been changed.

These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.