Retail therapy
Every once in a while, a cheap pre-owned Stephen King will appear on your default filter results — which you check countless of times everyday.
Stumbling upon such a pleasant surprise, a series of back and forth monologues will ensue: shall I add to cart or allow the opportunity of owning another book that will eventually gather dust in one corner of my room slip away? For fear of someone beating you to it, your indecisiveness will turn into a comforting firm voice, assuring you that the next clicks will produce the needed dopamine kick for you to endure the remaining grueling hours of the day. And after the urge has been acted upon, suddenly, everything in the world will feel right, hopeful, and bearable. But it won’t last long; it will only go downhill from here.
Right after receiving your self-imposed reward for “keeping it together”, you will find yourself back on the app, scrolling mindlessly through listings of used books, and then, like clockwork, the cycle will begin again.
