They’re burned out, broke, and buried under student debt—yet somehow, Millennials have curated entire identities around time-consuming, borderline bizarre rituals. It’s not just self-care anymore. It’s performance, it’s rebellion, it’s coping. And it takes up half a Saturday.
Because when the world feels unhinged, these hyper-specific, oddly spiritual, extremely curated habits give them back a sense of control. Whether it’s biohacking or pretending your living room is a 2008 Tumblr aesthetic, Millennials are deeply committed to weirdly beautiful ways of coping. Here are 10 trends they’ll spend 3–4 hours on without blinking.
1. Deep Cleaning as Therapy
Give a Millennial three uninterrupted hours, and they’ll turn their apartment into a minimalist shrine to emotional control. We’re talking baseboards, grout scrubbing, and reorganizing drawers that no one sees. Add a podcast about trauma, and it becomes a full-blown purification ritual. According to Cleaning Sure, cleaning therapy helps improve mental health by promoting a sense of control and reducing stress and anxiety.
It’s not about cleanliness—it’s about emotional regulation. Because when you can’t fix capitalism or your dating life, at least you can color-code your pantry.
2. Curating Hyper-Specific Playlists for Nonexistent Moments
They’ll spend four hours crafting the perfect Spotify playlist for a fictional version of themselves who lives in Paris and only drinks espresso in bookstores. Or one called “Slowly Letting Go in an Emotional Beige Sweater.”
It’s digital therapy disguised as music. These playlists are less for listening and more for moodboarding your internal world.
3. Elaborate Grocery Store Dates With Themselves
Millennials can turn a Trader Joe’s trip into a full-on main character montage. We’re talking multiple store visits, oat milk comparisons, and long internal debates about $9 mushrooms they’ll only use once. Research by the Food Marketing Institute highlights how millennials often treat grocery shopping as a personalized and meaningful experience, blending convenience with discovery and ethical considerations
It’s not about the food—it’s about romanticizing the errand. The grocery cart becomes a manifestation altar for the life they might start on Monday. As noted in insights from GWI, millennials are leading the charge in reshaping grocery shopping habits, including frequent store visits and detailed product comparisons, reflecting their desire for convenience, exclusivity, and a curated shopping experience.
4. Making Niche Beverages With Deep Ritual Energy
Three hours making a functional mushroom matcha adaptogen latte with oat foam and collagen powder? Absolutely yes. Bonus points if it’s poured into a vintage glass and posted with moody lighting.
This isn’t hydration—it’s identity. The drink says: I’m well, I’m soft, and I’m spiritually unbothered even if my credit score isn’t.
5. Spending Half a Day “Just Looking” at Real Estate They’ll Never Buy
Open Zillow. Add unrealistic filters. Spend three hours virtually touring homes in cities they’ll never move to. Then spiral about how Gen X got starter homes with basements and a yard. As noted by iPropertyManagement, Zillow attracts over 10 billion visits annually, with many users spending several minutes browsing listings without immediate intent to buy.
It’s part meditation, part masochism. But in this economy, fantasy real estate is the new escapism.
6. Rewatching Niche Nostalgia TV With Commentary Headphones On
They’ll spend an entire afternoon rewatching Buffy, The OC, or Top Chef: Season 4 with full emotional investment. Yes, they know how it ends. No, that’s not the point.
It’s not TV—it’s a coping mechanism. Nostalgia is their love language, and emotional predictability is the only stability they trust.
7. Doing Skin Care With the Intensity of a PhD Thesis
Millennials will commit three solid hours to serums, dermaplaning, LED masks, lymphatic drainage tools, and a podcast about gut health—all while fully alone in their bathroom.
It’s not vanity. It’s emotional armor. That glowing skin? Trauma response in gel form. As explained by Kao’s scientific research on the link between emotions and skin condition, millennials’ intensive skincare routines act as more than just beauty rituals—they are emotionally driven practices that improve skin texture by fostering positive emotional states.
8. Spending an Afternoon “Prepping” for a Week That Will Still Be Chaos
They’ll spend 4 hours on a Sunday chopping vegetables, washing produce, labeling containers, and color-coding a Google calendar—only to order takeout and abandon their schedule by Tuesday.
Still, the prep ritual feels productive. It’s a way of saying “I’m trying” when the world makes no sense.
9. Getting Deep Into Internet Aesthetics: They Don’t Live
They’ll spend hours browsing #cottagecore or #sadbeigegirl, pinning moody farmhouse kitchens or 90s Scandinavian minimalism—while living in a one-bedroom with LED lights and a roommate.
It’s not about copying—it’s about curating an identity in the algorithmic age. Internet aesthetics are the new personality quiz.
10. Going on Solo Walks With Unhinged Levels of Intentionality
A Millennial won’t just “go for a walk.” They’ll map a 3-hour route, choose the right shoes, queue up an inner child healing podcast, and bring a tote bag just in case they stop by a market for figs.
It’s not exercise—it’s a spiritual practice. And yes, it ends with a $7 croissant they’ll eat on a park bench while rethinking their entire life.
Natasha is a seasoned lifestyle journalist and editor based in New York City. Originally from Sydney, during a stellar two-decade career, she has reported on the latest lifestyle news and trends for major media brands including Elle and Grazia.
