How has your relationship with skincare changed over your skincare journey?

Hi Pickies. I was thinking the other day about how the way I choose my skincare products has changed over the years I've been in the skincare game (it's been maybe five years now for me?). For the first year and a half I didn't know much and I didn't look into much -- I was just in survival mode trying to get rid of my cystic acne and making sure my skin wasn't flaking off. My second phase came after that, when I started becoming interested in different ingredients and how to reach my "peak skin" (*cue foreshadowing*). This lead to binge watching tons of skincare videos, and a seven step skincare routine. Granted, it was an improvement over my previous routine, as I did get to tweak it more to fit my environment and skin type. However, this is where the benefits end. I started developing this strange association about how good my skin was (acne-free, even skin tone, smooth and soft texture, etc.) with my knowledge and even my competence. I was overbuying and was close to the point where I wasn't going to be able to finish what I had, so I stopped watching skincare videos, I stopped engaging with the Picky app as much (😓), and unfollowed many skincare brands on IG. (I know many others have expressed similar feelings and helpful encouragements against these negative feelings here on the Picky discussions.) I think I've started a third chapter in my skincare journey where I now have a much more balanced view of my skin, and skincare actually has become a part of my self-care. I've come back to Picky, but I don't watch skincare videos other than those from dermatologists or labmuffin. I'm a lot more patient and I don't obsess over how my skin is doing anymore. If I have acne, I simply make sure to use BHA and an acne patch. If my skin feels dehydrated, I'll tweak my routine to the more hydrating toner and more emoillent moisturizer. But I won't give it any more brain cycles than that. I've also dropped to a four step skincare routine + sunscreen, which is much more manageable for me. I didn't expect this to be such a share-y post, oops. Also apologies in advance if this is a discussion that's been had before -- as mentioned above, I had to stop engaging with the Picky app as much.